226 CHAPTER 3
The main distribution area of the heavy variant is in the western half of the
Carpathian Basin, mainly in its northwestern periphery,215 and the Zala valley,216
but they were also found in the Ipoly valley217 and even east of the Danube
(map 38).218 The great number of finds in the northwestern Carpathian Basin
may suggest its place of transmission.
The seaxes from Komárno on the northern shore of the Danube are clas-
sified as a distinct group,219 despite their broad and symmetric blade being
characteristic of broad seaxes. They are dated to the Late phase by association
with cast bronze belt-sets.220 This type is probably equivalent to a transitional
type between broad and long seaxes.221 Accordingly, this variant is only char-
acteristic of a small area on the northern shore of the Danube and was used in
the second half of the 8th century. It is important to note that there appears to
have been a chronological time gap compared with the western Merovingian
area; a salutary warning against an uncritical application of broad chrono-
logical models which may not be suitable for the interpretation of regional
differences.
Broad seaxes had already appeared in the second half of the Early phase
in some Transdanubian cemeteries under Merovingian influence but only
became a characteristic part of Middle Avar weaponry in the second half of the
7th century, in conjunction with a geographical shift towards the northwest.
215 Bratislava–Devinska Nová Ves–A–Tehel’ňa grave No. 124 (Eisner 1952, 41–42, Obr. 19/5);
Čataj I.–Zemanské-Gejzove grave No. 148 (Hanuliak – Zábojník 1982, 498); Komárno–6
Hadovce grave No. 24 (Čilinská 1982, 361, T. XVII/1); Komárno–8 Shipyard grave No. 78
(Trugly 1987, 268. Abb. 8. Taf. XX/6); Sommerein am Leithagebirge grave No. 74/A (Daim –
Lippert 1984, 47, 231, Taf. 50/10); Štúrovo–Vojenské cvičisko grave No. 208 (Točík 1968b, 55,
Taf. XLII/19) Zillingtal grave No. D-451 (Daim 1998, 102, 108. Taf. 14/1).
216 Kehidakustyán–Kehida, Központi Tsz-major grave No. 10 (Szőke 2002, 77, 9/d).
217 Želovce grave No. 311 (Čilinská 1973, 91, Taf. LII/23).
218 Visonta–Nagycsapás grave No. 74 (Nagy 1970, 56).
219 Komárno–6 Hadovce grave No. 24 (Čilinská 1982, 361, T. XVII/1); Komárno–8 Shipyard
grave No. 78 (Trugly 1987, 268. Abb. 8. Taf. XX/6); Štúrovo–Vojenské cvičisko grave No. 208
(Točík 1968b, 55, Taf. XLII/19).
220 The seaxes of grave No. 24 of Komárno-Hadovce (Čilinská 1982, 361; T. XVII) and grave No.
78 of Komárno—8 Shipyard (Trugly 1987, 268. Abb. 8. Taf. XX) are dated to the second half
or end of the 8th century by cast bronze belt-set decorated by fleur-de-lis. For the chronol-
ogy of these belt-sets (SPA III: Stadler 1985; SS IV: Zábojník 1991, 241; Szalontai 1995, 129).
The grave No. 208 of Štúrovo (Točík 1968b, 55, Taf. XLII) is similarly dated by the cemtery’s
horizonatal stratigraphy (Zábojník 1995, 227. Abb. 16).
221 The type was identified in the cemetery of Donaueschingen (Buchta-Hohm 1996, 37).