58 CHAPTER 1
The chronological contributions of Falko Daim are important from a
methodological point of view, since he combined the methods of horizontal
stratigraphy and combination statistics in the publication of the Sommerein
cemetery, and distinguished four steps for establishing a chronology: 1. creating
types (classification), 2. seriation, 3. mapping, 4. distinguishing phases of the
cemetery with special attention to its demographic features.241 Daim dated
the beginning of the Middle Avar phase to the middle of the 7th century.242
This chronological model was finally elaborated on in the publication of the
cemetery from Leobersdorf.243 According to his view the great number of
Middle phase burials suggests a timespan of about 60 years.244
Among statistical methods, seriation was used for subdividing these three
phases by the analysis of belt sets. An example of such studies is that of Peter
Stadler who divided the Avar Age into 30 year periods.245 The method was
also used by Jozef Zábojník for analysing belt sets from Avar-age cemeteries
of Slovakia and as a result of which he distinguished four sub-phases of the
Late phase,246 which could be paralleled by the phases of Falko Daim and Éva
Garam. Later on Zábojník used the results of this seriation for horizontal strati-
graphical analyses of Avar cemeteries from the northern periphery of the Avar
Qaganate.247
Besides the abovementioned chronological summaries, examination of sev-
eral artefact types is of considerable benefit to chronology, like those of Éva
Garam,248 Gábor Kiss249 and Béla Miklós Szőke.250
241 Daim – Lippert 1984, 61–62 distinguished two sub-phases of the Middle phase.
242 The absolute chronology of these phases was created by a combination of coin dating,
imported goods in burials (inlayed iron belt sets, seaxes), and historical events (Daim –
Lippert 1984, 91).
243 Falko Daim (1987, 155) demonstrated that the artefacts of Bavarian-Alemann origin con-
tradict the late dating (700/720) of the transition between the Middle and Late phase.
(Daim – Lippert 1984, 158).
244 Daim proposed two possibilities for the absolute chronology of the Middle phase: 1. 670–
730 or 2. 650–710 (Daim – Lippert 1984, 159), and considered the second more probable.
245 Peter Stadler combined his seriation (Stadler 1985) with C14 dates and coin dating (Stadler
2005, 113–120).
246 Zábojník 1991, 219–321.
247 Zábojník 1995, 205–336.
248 Belt sets of Byzantine origin: Garam 1999/2000, 379–391; Garam 2001, 113–150.
249 Cast bronze belt-whirls (propeller-shaped belt-mounts) with animal heads (Kiss 1998,
461–495), button-ended strap-ends (Kiss 2000, 411–418).
250 Flower ornaments and pointed background: Szőke 2001, 103–140, chronology of women’s
jewellery of the Late phase: Szőke 1992b, 842–968.