Avar-Age Polearms and Edged Weapons. Classification, Typology, Chronology and Technology

(Nandana) #1

General Conclusions 405


origin were found in Eastern Transdanubia during the Early phase. Some of


these influences arrived from Italy into the Carpathian Basin, while the way


along the Danube from Bavaria could also have been significant.


The dynamics of western contacts changed significantly from the Middle


phase, when weapons of western origin were concentrated in the northwest-


ern part of the Carpathian Basin. The seaxes were an important part of Avar


close combat weaponry and most of them from this period have been found


in Southwestern Slovakia. These features were characteristic for the Late phase


as well. Some spearheads of western origin (Egling type and hooked spear-


head) appeared near the northwestern gate of Danube to the Carpathian Basin


which is probably as a result of the Carolingian weapon trade, prohibited by


the capitulare of Charlemagne.23


The weapon burial rite was connected to some other aspects of burial cus-


tom, like horse offerings, burials with ornamented belt, golden or silver grave


goods and the adult or senile age of the deceased. However, there are some


exceptions, with horse burials being unknown in some communities and sev-


eral male burials with weapons did not have ornamented belts. Some chil-


dren’s graves with weapons are also known.


All of the above listed factors will influence the social interpretation of


weapon burials, though some general observations can be made. In the Early


phase in Transdanubia and Transylvania there appears to have been an armed


elite, represented by burials with characteristically Merovingian weapons and


weapon combinations. These Merovingian contacts were strong not only in


the field of weaponry but also in pottery manufacturing, female costume and


burial customs.24 Even if the Gepidic identification of this Pannonian popula-


tions is in question, their Merovingian contacts cannot be denied.


Swords covered with gold sheets are concentrated in the central part of the


Carpathian Basin, in the Danube-Tisza interfluve, during the Early phase and


their concomitance with the ring-pommel swords might suggest a high social


significance for this sword type (map 55). The geographical concentration of


these swords in a small region (Danube-Tisza interfluve) might also suggest


the high status of this region, which was probably not only geographically but


23 The capitulare of Charlemagne from the year 805 established checkpoints in Regensburg
and Passau along the Danube (Capitulare 44, 7, 123: Szádeczky-Kardoss 1992, 307; Pohl
2002, 195).
24 For the Gepidic continuity in Transdanubia, see: Attila Kiss (1987b, 203–278; Kiss 1992,
35–134; Kiss 1999/2000, 359–365; Kiss 1996; Kiss 2001). Tivadar Vida observed similar fea-
tures in Transdanubian pottery and female costume (Vida 1999a; Vida 1996, 107–112; Vida
1999/2000, 367–377; Vida 1995, 221–295; Vida 1999b, 563–574; Vida 2008, 18–31).

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