Introduction 67
destroying their original surface, therefore available archival photographs and
drawings for these artefacts were used because of their changing condition.
The conservation and inventory methods are usually not standardised across
East-Central Europe, causing distortions: most of the wooden scabbards were
restored on the blades hiding the blade itself and providing information only
regarding the former. These were not commonly examined botanically and
therefore it is very important to distinguish blades with or without wooden
scabbards showing their state of visibility.
Scientific examination is increasingly important for archaeological research,
therefore available results from metallographic,301 botanical (wood of the hilt,
scabbard or shaft), zoological (in the case of horse burials) and anthropologi-
cal (age, sex and health condition of the deceased) examinations were used for
exploiting ‘hidden’ information.
The catalogue of artefacts upon which this volume is based was originally
made as a Microsoft Access database containing the description, size, type of
weapon, rite of the burial, other grave goods helping the dating, anthropologi-
cal data of the deceased, and results of scientific examinations, which was
then converted into a Microsoft Word document which made up one volume
of the original doctoral thesis. As a consequence of its large extents, only parts
of it are cited in the present study, such as the site, grave number, type, dating
and literature for the cited artefacts, while more voluminous descriptions are
omitted. Distribution maps for most of the types were created by open-source
online programs like ‘GPSvisualizer’ and ‘ESRI ArcGis Explorer’.
corrosion. Unfortunately the depositories are mostly far from ideal causing further decay
(Korek 1988, 167–168; Séd 1979, 18).
301 The most important metallographic examinations on Avar weapons are: Piaskowski 1974,
113–130. on the Környe cemetery; L’ubomír Mihók (et al. 1991, 67–101; Mihók et al. 1995,
145–188) on Želovce and Košice-Šebastovce cemeteries (Slovakia); Radomír Pleiner (1967,
77–188) in the Czech Republic; Norbert Hofer and Matthias Mehofer in Austria (Mehofer
2005). Some new analyses were made with the help of Budapest Technical University and
Széchenyi University of Győr upon my request.