326 CHAPTER 6
are known in Transoxiana (Afrasiab),147 while this feature only spread in the
region of the Caucasus, Kuban and Volga rivers a few decades later at the end
of the 7th and beginning of the 8th century, while they reached Inner Asia
and South Siberia only during the 9th century. The Middle Avar sabres of the
Carpathian Basin can be regarded as early examples of this weapon type, and
antecedents are not to be found in Eastern Europe, with all of the known sabres
from the steppes being contemporary analogies.
Eastern influence reached Avar weaponry from the beginning of the Early
phase and lasted until the end of the Late phase. These contacts were of vari-
ous intensity, the closest analogies for Avar close combat weapons being found
in Eastern Europe, but some elements of Avar swords are known from Korea
and Japan.
2 Southern Mediterranean Region
Research on the Mediterranean and Byzantine contacts of Avar close-combat
weapons presents several difficulties and limitations. On the one hand, writ-
ten sources inform us on the Byzantine weapon trade with the Avar Qaganate,148
whilst on the other hand, very few weapon finds are actually known from the
territory of the Byzantine Empire itself, providing little basis upon which to
make comparison. This problem is largely a consequence of different patterns
of deposition, with weapon burials being extremely rare in Byzantium. The
situation is more favorable in Italy where weapon burials were found in great
numbers due to the burial customs of the Lombard population, while the local
population was characterised by the lack of weapons in graves.149
The study of Byzantine weapons is limited to stray finds or representations,
the weapon burials of Corinth150 and Pergamon151 should be mentioned as
fortunate exceptions. Very few close-combat weapons have been identified as
Byzantine in Avar-age burials. Swords equipped with crossguards cast of cop-
per alloy have good analogies in the Byzantine Empire,152 and similar contacts
147 Arzhantseva 1987, 127–128.
148 Pohl 2002, 195.
149 Riemer 2000, 18.
150 Altogether four weapon burials are known from the cemetery of South stoa in Corinth
(Davidson – Weinberg 1974; Ivison 1996, 117–119; Vida – Völling 2000, 32–34).
151 A weapon burial with two spears was excavated in Pergamon (Felix Pirson), and several
weapons are known from the iron artefacts from Pergamon (Gaitzsch 2005, 130–159).
152 Kiss 1987a, 193–210; Garam 2001, 158–159.