64 CHAPTER 1
protection, their great value could show the richness of their owner and indi-
rectly their social position.283 As later medieval examples show, weapons could
be used during coronation or investiture, like Saint Stephan’s sword in Prague,284
the ‘sabre of Vienna’285 and ‘Holy Lance’ for German-Roman emperor,286 or
Saint Steven’s spear (LANCEA REGIS).287 The use of spears as royal symbols is
well known from the early medieval Lombards, and according to the descrip-
tion of Paulus Diaconus it was used as an investiture symbol during the coro-
nation of kings.288
The social interpretation of weapons is particularly problematic and only
the exact context of the buried weapon can reveal its original meaning in
ancient society.
3.5 Methods of Data Collection
The present volume is based on the edged weapons and polearms studied
from several museums in the Carpathian Basin, which were partly published in
various monographs and journals, but which largely remained unpublished.289
Unfortunately not all weapons studied in this volume could be examined per-
sonally, partly because of their destruction during World War II, when the
283 Merovingian archaeology usually interprets weapon burials as signs of free men of full
rights (Steuer 1968).
284 Lovag 1986; Fodor 2000.
285 Fodor 2000.
286 Schramm 1955; Kirschweger 2006.
287 Kovács 1975; Kovács 1995.
288 For the royal spear of the Lombards: (Gasparri 2000, 98–101). The Holy Lance of Vienna
became a royal symbol because of its Christian meaning (Schramm 1955, 492–537;
Kirchweger 2006, 23–36).
289 Weapon finds were studied in the following museums: Hungary: Hungarian National
Museum and Budapest Historical Museum in Budapest, Balaton Museum in Keszthely,
Móra Ferenc Museum in Szeged, Koszta József Museum in Szentes, Xántus János Museum
in Győr, Wosinsky Mór Museum in Szekszárd, Szent István Király Múzeum (Saint
Steven King Museum) in Székesfehérvár, Déri Museum in Debrecen, Göcseji Museum
in Zalaegerszeg, Jósa András Museum in Nyíregyháza; in Slovakia: Vychodoslovenské
Múzeum (Eastern Slovakian Museum) and Slovakian Archaeological Institute (AÚ SAV)
in Košice, Slovakian National Museum (Slovenské Národné Múzeum) in Bratislava and
Danubian Museum (Podunajské Múzeum) in Komárno; in Croatia: Croatian National
Museum in Zagreb. I could personally study edged weapons from Zillingtal cemetery at
the Institute for Pre- and Protohistory (Institut für Ur- und Frühgeschichte) of Vienna
University. Unfortunately I had no opportunities to study Avar weapons from Romania
and Serbia, thus these finds were only studied from publications.