384 CHAPTER 7
In this study, only 125 instances of age-related data were available from buri-
als containing edged weapons and/or polearms, with half of them (65 cases)
being from Slovakia, and therefore significant distortions must be noted as a
consequence of the various regional research traditions.
In 78 cases age determinations of the deceased from burials with edged
weapons were available, with 23 dated to the Early phase, 26 to the Middle
phase and 29 to the Late phase, their chronological distribution being largely
even. Five of the edged weapons were found in infant graves, four were in juve-
nile, 21 in adult, 41 in mature and seven in senile burials. Thus, edged weapons
were mainly found in graves of adult and mature individuals.
Similar results are presented in the diagram studying age groups within shorter
periods, wherein the Early phase there is four infant, two juvenile, ten adult,
six mature and one senile individuals buried with edged weapons, while the
increasing importance of the mature age group can be observed during the
Middle phase, as the deposition of edged weapons shifted towards older age
groups during the Late phase as well, with most of the senile burials (seven
cases) known from this period.
The great number of infant and juvenile burials with edged weapons is a
result of the short seaxes (‘Kurzsaxe’) of Környe cemetery which was a charac-
teristic secondary weapon mainly used by adolescent and young people, while
spathae were placed only in adult graves.
DIAGRAM 20 Distribution of edged weapons according to the age of deceased in the Avar Age.
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
infant juvenile adultmaturesenile
Avar Age
Early Avar
Middle Avar
Late Avar
