Origins And Cultural Contacts 333
from Baden-Württemberg. She suggested that these types appeared in the
Merovingian kingdoms as a result of Avar influence during the 7th century.200
Uta von Freeden expressed a radically different opinion on these arte-
facts suggesting converse influences from the Byzantine Empire to south
Germany and the Carpathian Basin. She compared spearheads from Italy and
south Germany with Avar examples and drew attention to typological201 and
depositional202 differences. According to her view the Avars simply did not
have the technological level for manufacturing weapons of such good qual-
ity, thus the artefacts from Germany and Italy (map 53) cannot be regarded
as mere copies of Avar originals, and the differences between the Avar and
western pieces can only be interpreted as the product of different workshops.203
Another German archaeologist, Mechtild Schulze-Dörlamm supposes an Italo-
Byzantine origin of these spears.204
Although a Byzantine origin is supposed for these spearheads the strong
relations between the Avar and Merovingian examples cannot be denied.
Unfortunately this type is not known from any Byzantine sites from the Balkans
200 The average length of Western European spears was between 20 and 30 cm, slightly big-
ger than the usual Avar examples. Ursula Koch listed eight examples of her Szentendre
type. (Koch 1968, 255. 20. list A). Unfortunately this list is not correct since the spear from
Esztergom–Nagyhegy is mentioned twice, and the spear from Szentendre (giving its
name for the whole group) has ribbed rings on the socket instead of grid-patterned (the
main attribute of the type according to Koch) (Koch 1968, 89–91).
201 The western parallels of the ‘Avar’ spears are characterised by a facetted socket
framed by ribbed rings and double-grooved blade, sometimes with connecting chap
(‘Zwischenfutter’) (von Freeden 1991, 614–619).
202 The main difference in depositional rules is that this type is never found in a horse grave
in south Germany. (Koch 1968, 615; Schulze-Dörlamm 2006, 493–494) Uta von Freeden
mentioned 68 such spears from South Germany and six from Italy which is triple the
number of pieces from the Carpathian Basin. Their dating in the Merovingian cemetery
of Schretzheim (Baden-Württemberg, Germany) is to its 4th phase (Stufe 4: 590/600–
620/630), appearing at the turn of the 6–7th centuries in Altenerding and remained in
use until the middle of the 7th century (von Freeden 1991, Liste 2. 626–627).
203 The Byzantines already used thrusting cavalry lances (κονταριων) before the spread of stir-
rups, having learned the use of such weapons from the Sassanians during their Persian
wars. Maurice described the influence of Avar fighting methods to Byzantine cavalry in
detail, although he did not mention the Avar origin of the lance and stirrup. The use of
the lance is represented on a silver plate from Isola Rizza (Italy) where a mounted war-
rior wearing lamellar armour and ‘Spangenhelm’ is seen thrusting toward a German foot
soldier (von Freeden 1991, 621–623). The plate is probably earlier than the appearance of
the Avars.
204 Schulze-Dörlamm 2006, 488, 494–497.