There is a general consensus that the Avar power centre can be located to the upper third of the Dan-ube-Tisza interfluve in the middle third of the seventh century. The exceptionally lavish Kiskőrös- Vágóhíd cemetery raised the possibility that the power centre had survived into the middle Avar pe-riod in this region. The region’s prominent status is indicated by the richly furnished solitary burials and the smaller cemeteries with their swords and sabres adorned with precious metal fittings, the gold earrings and plait clamps, the gilded belt fittings, the metal vessels, the gold foil costume accessories and the coffins and funerary shrouds adorned with gold or gilt bronze ornaments. We also know of cemeteries dating from the eighth century lying in a smaller territory (in the Dunapataj–Tatár- szentgyörgy–Budapest area) whose finds of golden or gilded jewellery, particularly the finely crafted, remarkable box clasps and the magnificent necklaces reflecting the late antique taste, as well as of countless cast gilt belt mounts suggest that the region was home to communities of the Avar elite.
Examined in this study is possible survival of the early Avar power centre as reflected by the location of the sites that can be linked to the ruling elite and the military elite relative to each other, which in turn can also yield new insights regarding the territorial organisation of the Avar Khaganate.
I gathered and analysed the available information on burials with weapons and other weapon finds in the Danube-Tisza interfluve, alongside an examination of the custom of weapon deposition in graves. The proportion of weapon burials in the Danube-Tisza interfluve is less than 3% compared to all the burials; however, if we look at the first half of the Avar period (568–650/660), the early Avar period, this proportion is 38%, meaning that every third burial contained some sort of weapon.
The earliest weapon burials in the Danube-Tisza interfluve can be dated to the early decades of the seventh century and lie near fords and crossing places, reflecting a military presence with a focus on strategic places. In the middle third of the seventh century, when the lavishly outfitted burials indi-cate the location of the power centre in the Danube-Tisza interfluve, the burial places of the warriors encircle the settlement territory of the ruling elite. A similar territorial organisation can be noted in the middle Avar period too.
The study of the weapon burials highlighted another important point. The presence of a not par-ticularly large armed group can be posited in the Danube-Tisza interfluve during the second and final third of the seventh century, whose sole weapons were bows and arrows. They settled in a small area in the early Avar period, while during the middle Avar period, they appear as isolated communities living far apart from each other. Their grave goods include articles that have no antecedents in the khaganate, whose analogies can be traced to Central Asia, suggesting that they represent smaller armed groups from that region. Their appearance can be linked to the practice of nomadic empires that when the power of the elite began to crumble for one reason or another, it “sent for” armed re-inforcements to maintain and secure its position. The three case studies cited here suggest that these groups were armed communities skilled in archery tactics.
We see a slightly different situation in the eighth century: the cemeteries with a higher proportion of weapon burials can be found not in the Danube-Tisza interfluve, but in the strategically important locations of the Carpathian Basin (Komárom, Dunacséb, Kassa-Zsebes, Kiskundorozsma). The pres-ence of a new type of human-horse burial in higher numbers, certain previously unattested weapon types and other grave goods would confirm the supposition that these represent armed groups from the east. The best analogies to the human-horse burials can be found among the eighth-century Turkic burials.
A KORA AVAR VEZÉRI SZÁLLÁSTERÜLET LEGFONTOSABB LELŐHELYEI KORA AVAR KOR (?–600–650/660)
bizonytalan lelőhelyű arany álcsat
1. kép. A kora avar kori vezéri szállásterület lelőhelyei
1. Bócsa
2. Csanytelek–Határ út A sír 3. Csengele–Jójárt
4. Dány
5. Kecel–Schwaho János földje 6. Kecskemét–Sallai út
7. Kiskunfélegyháza–Pákapuszta 8. Kunszentmiklós–Bábony
9. Maglód
10. Nagykőrös–Szurdok 11. Petőfiszállás
12. Szalkszentmárton 13. Tiszaalpár–Várdomb
14. Bácspalánka (Bačka Palanka, RS)
15. Ismeretlen, Szeged környéke (?)
1. Bócsa
2. Deszk H 18. sír
3. Felgyő-Ürmös-tanya 83. sír 4. Homokrév (Mokrin, RS) 19. sír 5. Környe 78. sír
6. Nyíregyháza–Kertgazdaság 3. sír 7. Petőfiszállás
8. Szalkszentmárton 9. Zamárdi–Rétiföldek 925.
és 1140/B sír
6.
1.
2. 3. 4. 5.
2. kép. 1. A Bócsa-típusú korongveretek lelőhelyei; 2–6. Bócsa-típusú korongveretek (2: Bócsa–Schwaho János földje; 3: Petőfiszállás; 4: Zamárdi–Rétiföldek 1140/B sír [BÁRDOS, Edith 2000 88. nyomán];
5: Szalkszentmárton [KOVACSÓCZY Bernadett 2019 nyomán]); 6: A petőfiszállási vezéri sír Bócsa- típusú korongveretes övének rekonstrukciója (BALOGH Csilla – WICKER Erika 2012 11. kép nyomán)
3. kép. 1. A leggazdagabb kora avar fegyveres sírok és a fontosabb fegyveres temetkezések a Duna–Tisza közén a 7. század első évtizedeiben; 2. A kora avar vezéri szállásterület és a fonto-
sabb fegyveres lelőhelyek elhelyezkedése a Duna–Tisza közén a kora avar kor második felében
1.
2.
FONTOSABB FEGYVERES LELŐHELYEK (?–600–620/625)
vezérek
alacsonyabb rangú vezetők és köznépi fegyveres sírok 1. Baja–Allaga szőlő
2. Bócsa
3. Fajsz–Garadomb 1., 4., C sír
4. Felgyő–Ürmös-tanya 83., 197., 215. sír 5. Kecel–Schwaho János földje 6. Kishegyes–Sárgagödör
(Mali Iđoš–Zuta jama, RS) 70. sír 7. Kunpeszér–Felsőpeszéri út,
Homokbánya 8., 9., 30/A sír 8. Páhi–Kenyérhalom 9. Petőfiszállás
10. Péterréve (Bačko Petrovo Selo–Čik, RS) 28. sír
11. Szalkszentmárton
FONTOSABB FEGYVERES LELŐHELYEK (620/625–650/660)
vezérek
1. Budapest–Csepel-Háros 2. Csanytelek–Határút 3. Csengele–Jójárt 4. Kecskemét–Sallai út 5. Kiskunfélegyháza–Pákapuszta 6. Kunszentmiklós–Bábony
7. Kunpeszér–Felsőpeszéri út, Homokbánya 8. Maglód
9. Nagykőrös–Szurdok 10. Tiszaalpár–Várdomb
11. Bácsandrásszállás (Bački Sokolac, RS) 12. Bugyi–Ürbőpuszta
13. Csengele–Feketehalom 14. Dabas–Paphegy 15. Dunavecse–Kovacsos-dűlő 16. Felgyő–Ürmös-tanya 17. Gátér
18. Gombos (Bogojevo, RS) 19. Kiskőrös–Csukás-tó 20. Kiskőrös–Puhibúj-Mackó-dűlő 21. Kiskőrös–Város alatt 22. Óbecse–Pionir u. (Becej, RS) 23. Szeged–Fehértó A 24. Szeged–Kundomb 25. Szeged–Tápé 85. kk.
26. Szolnok–Vegyiművek 27. Szolnok–Zagyvagát 28. Tiszaalpár–Újfalu 29. Tiszavárkony–Hugyinpart
alacsonyabb rangú vezetők és köznépi fegyveres sírok
4. kép. A Duna–Tisza közi kora avar kori fegyverek eloszlása típusonként 0
10 20 30 40 50 60 70
(55 db)Kard Lándzsa
(30+5 db) Hosszúkés
(13 db) Balta+bárd
(4+1 db) Íj
(46 db) Nyílhegy
(70 sír)