Origins And Cultural Contacts 309
of an example of this spearhead type from Környe,19 as well as examples from
graves No. 710 and 715 from Budakalász, contradict the theory of secondary
burning which would likely have resulted in deformation or nitridation (high
nitrite content).20
The direct attribution of such spearheads to burial sacrifice or to pyres is also
problematic because of their context. Ten examples of spearheads of type P.I.A
were found in burial contexts (six from males and four from horse burials), and
only 11 such spearheads are stray finds, mostly found together with elements
of horse harness (stirrups and horse bits), but without observation of burnt
surfaces, pyres, calcinated bones or ashes. The ten spearsheads known from
burial assemblages are all of good preservation and show no traces of second-
ary burning.
The assumption of Inner Asian origin for these spears is based on their good
preservation and the theory of sacrifice. According to Chinese literary sources
the ancient Turks were excellent blacksmiths leading to the notion that all iron
artefacts of good preservation must be of Inner Asian origin. A good indica-
tor of Asian origin for ferrous artefacts could be their cast iron manufacture,21
though metallographic evidence contradicts the early existence of cast iron
among the Avars.22
Two kinds of sacrifices are known from the Turkic Empire, the so-called
‘oградки’, fences made of stones with carved stone statues in them, and
‘тайник’, the cache usually dug into burial mounds (kurgans).23 The ‘Avar type’
sacrifice is usually identified as ‘тайник’, although no burial mounds were
used in Avar burial rites, as well as the composition of such sacrifices being
completely different.
Moreover no reed-shaped spearhead with connecting chap and grip-
patterned ring is known from Inner Asia. However, the possibility for compara-
tive examination is limited due to the scarcity of contemporary Inner Asian
finds. The only known spearheads from Inner Asia were found in the 7th and
8th kurgans of the Katanda Ist cemetery and described and dated to the 5th–
6th centuries by Gavrilova. These were cited by the study by István Bóna on the
Szegvár–Sápoldal burial.24 These spearheads from Katanda are reed-shaped,
19 Piaskowski 1974, 122–124.
20 Pleiner 2006, 70.
21 For early Chinese iron casting see: Needham 1958; Barnard 1961; Needham 1964, 398–404;
Rostoker – Bronson – Dvorak – Shen 1983, 196–210; Wagner 1992, 335–361.
22 Piaskowski 1974, 122.
23 Tomka 1986, 35–57; Stark 2008, 121–126.
24 Gavrilova 1965, 55.