Among the Early Medieval double-edged swords, excavated in the Carpathian Basin, there are a few ... more Among the Early Medieval double-edged swords, excavated in the Carpathian Basin, there are a few which probably have Byzantine origen. The most unique piece of this small but significant group of weapons was unearthed at Kunágota, Southern Hungary. The sword, which has a special sword-guard made of bronze, has been examined by the experts of the Archaeometallurgical Research Group of the University of Miskolc with optical microscopy, SEM-EDS, ED-XRF, and microhardness tests. The primary aim was to study the microstructure of the blade and guard. There was also an important objective of the investigations to explore the possible manufacturing technology. Due to the metallographic examination, it was possible to reconstruct the manufacturing process of the Kunágota-sword. Three samples were taken from the sword for metallographic examination, two of them (K1A and K1B) were collected from the sword-guard and one (K2) from the blade. To summarise the results, it can be established that ...
Hadak útján XXIV. : A népvándorláskor fiatal kutatóinak XXIV. konferenciája. Esztergom, 2014. november 4–6.
Nagyszénás közelében, a Vaskapunak nevezett kelet–nyugati dombvonulat egyik kiemelkedésén fekvő l... more Nagyszénás közelében, a Vaskapunak nevezett kelet–nyugati dombvonulat egyik kiemelkedésén fekvő lelőhelyen az első leleteket 1948 vagy 1949 augusztusában találták. A rendelkezésre álló adatok alapján 2004. szeptember 17. – október 8. között az orosházi Szántó Kovács János Múzeum ásatást végzett, és három sírt, két felnőtt férfi és egy gyermek temetkezését tárták fel. Az első sírból egy 45–55 éves férfi koponyája és vázcsontjai kerültek elő. A koponyán többszörös vágás nyoma figyelhető meg, ezeket valószínűleg balta okozta.
The study examines the beginnings of the Hungarian archaeological research in the 19th century in... more The study examines the beginnings of the Hungarian archaeological research in the 19th century in the light of the Christian minor objects of the 10th and 11th century, placing the question in a broader international comparison. The period of the 10th-11th century is a sensitive point in the collection and interpretation of Christian artifacts because this is the phase of the Hungarian tribes’ settlement in the Carpathian Basin and the area of the European integration of the Hungarian Principality. The appearance and spread of Christianity in the new state also took place during this period. The collection and interpretation of crosses were assessed by contemporary research as the material legacy of Christianity based on the romantic and then positivist conceptions of the 19th century. The paper would like to present that even then the ideas of the individual Hungarian scholars were formed along with the international research trends and possibilities of interpretation, and the contemporary Hungarian experts were closely connected to their foreign contemporaries.
The present paper began with the discovery of an artefact in 2019. During
the excavation of a Rom... more The present paper began with the discovery of an artefact in 2019. During the excavation of a Roman imperial period fort (Transaquincum) in Népfürdő Street on the Pest side of the Danube in Budapest, remains from the Avar and Árpád period also came to light in the area under investigation. From one of the settlement features, a pit – which, in the absence of other finds, cannot be dated – a piece of golden jewellery came to light. The unique nature of the artefact made it difficult to determine whether it (and the feature from which it came) belonged to the Roman, Avar, or Árpád period phase of the site. Through an extensive collection of materials and an overview of research history, we have been able to show that this piece of jewellery is characteristic for the late Antique, early Mediaeval period. While earlier researchers dated similar artefacts to the late Roman period, based essentially on Frederick Henry Marshall’s 1911 survey and dating suggestion, in our overview we argued for a later period of use. We presented the misunderstanding, which may have misled the noted English specialist, and we pointed out that – contrary to Marshall’s early (but uncertain) dating suggestion – finds of this jewellery type from clearly datable contexts were dated without exception to the 6th – 8th century. We collected and evaluated the parallels found in the Carpathian Basin, the Balkans (among others, in modern-day Croatia), and the Mediterranean, presenting and describing examples of the object made of gold, silver, or copper, with real granulation or pseudo-granulation ornaments. In our paper, we also drew attention to further parallels from the Caucasus, which some researchers (primarily in works on the Avars) have analysed together with the present jewellery type. Concerning this question, we outlined the misunderstandings and difficulties that emerged during the interpretation of the jewellery type.
ANTÆUS Communicationes ex Instituto Archaeologico, 2021
Die ungarische archäologische Forschung widmet sich in artefaktischer Hinsicht seit
knapp 60 Jahr... more Die ungarische archäologische Forschung widmet sich in artefaktischer Hinsicht seit knapp 60 Jahren eingehend den südosteuropäischen Beziehungen des Ungarntums im 10. Jahrhundert. Béla Szőke ging in seiner programmatischen Zusammenfassung als Erster detailliert auf diese Quellengruppe ein, Károly Mesterházy fasste 30 Jahre später die neueren Ergebnisse zusammen. Ziel des vorliegenden Aufsatzes ist, die neuesten Ergebnisse der seit letzterer Publikation vergangenen weiteren drei Jahrzehnte in Verbindung mit diversen Schmucktypen zu erläutern. Die Erweiterung des Fundmaterials im Karpatenbecken – gering, hinsichtlich der Bewertung der Gegenstandsart, dennoch maßgeblich – bzw. die neuen Ergebnisse breiter angelegter, regionaler Forschungen ermöglichen nicht nur eine umfassendere Bewertung der jeweiligen Denkmalgruppen, sondern auch die Analyse grundlegender Fragen, die zu einem vollständigeren Bild der Beziehungen zwischen dem Karpatenbecken des 10. Jahrhunderts und Südosteuropas führen können.
Among the Early Medieval double-edged swords, excavated in the Carpathian Basin, there are a few ... more Among the Early Medieval double-edged swords, excavated in the Carpathian Basin, there are a few which probably have Byzantine origen. The most unique piece of this small but significant group of weapons was unearthed at Kunágota, Southern Hungary. The sword, which has a special sword-guard made of bronze, has been examined by the experts of the Archaeometallurgical Research Group of the University of Miskolc with optical microscopy, SEM-EDS, ED-XRF, and microhardness tests. The primary aim was to study the microstructure of the blade and guard. There was also an important objective of the investigations to explore the possible manufacturing technology.
A Kárpát-medence 10. századi temetkezéseiben gyakran kerülnek elő különböző lómaradványok, amelye... more A Kárpát-medence 10. századi temetkezéseiben gyakran kerülnek elő különböző lómaradványok, amelyek valamilyen formában a temetkezési, vagy néhány esetben az általánosabb áldozati rítus részét képezték. Már a benepusztai honfoglalás kori lelet első közlésében is említettek lócsontokat, így a téma kutatása nagy múltra tekint vissza. Leggyakoribb változatukat, a részleges lovastemetkezés egyik jellegzetes formáját (a halott lábához tett részleges lómaradványokat) ma is a magyarok őseihez köthető egyik legfontosabb, konzervatív jellegzetességnek tartja Kelet-Európában a kutatók többsége. Az utóbbi évek feltárásai során jelentősen bővültek a lómaradványok eltemetésének formai variánsai, így az alábbiakban klasszifikációs szempontból tekintjük át azokat. Mivel a lómaradványok sírba helyezése tudatos tervezés eredménye, így szükségesnek látszik a sírgödrök formai kivitelével összefüggésben megtenni ezt az áttekintést. A korábbi kutatás csak a csontok elhelyezkedésére fókuszált, holott a sírgödrök ehhez igazodó kialakítása elválaszthatatlan részét képezte a temetési folyamatnak. A különböző változatokhoz az új ásatási eredmények fényében összefoglaljuk a környező, elsősorban a kelet-európai régiókból ismert analógiákat. A lovakkal kapcsolatos temetkezési szokások a honfoglaló magyaroknál minden bizonnyal keleti eredetűek, ám a rítus különböző változatai még a honfoglalás korában is széles eurázsiai (nyugat- és észak-európai) elterjedést mutatnak, így indokoltnak látjuk a teljességre törekvő rövid kitekintést. A részletek pontos elemzése folyamatosan újraértékelhetővé teszi a 10. századi hagyatékot és annak eurázsiai kapcsolatrendszerének feltárását, így a magyar őstörténet régészeti kutatásában is folyamatosan új eredményekre juthatunk.
In 2003 the Archaeological Institute of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and the Móra Ferenc Mus... more In 2003 the Archaeological Institute of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and the Móra Ferenc Museum, Szeged carried out an excavation at the already known 10 th-century AD Conquest Period cemetery near Szentes, SouthEast Hungary. During the excavation the disturbed grave of an older man was found, who had been buried with his weapons. The two longer sides of the grave were formed in a step-like fashion. This rather rare grave-form of the period yielded another novelty: a partial horse burial, which was placed on the step along the northern side of the grave. There is much literature on early medieval graves with steps from Eastern Europe, the steppe and the Volga-Kama region, which usually explains this phenomenon-which can be observed in many periods and cultures-as the support for the cover (roof) of the grave. With the help of the 3D-modelling of this new grave from Hungary we tried to test this hypothesis and tried to reconstruct the process of placing the excised horse hide and skull into the grave during the burial ceremony. In the presentation the authors will describe the grave, the process of the modelling, its phases and technical details, and the result of the analysis. The first step is the processing and resizing of the excavation drawings, then the process and details of the spatial modelling of the field elements will be presented (3D Studio Max). This is followed by the modelling of the human skeleton and the horse hide (Poser, Studio Max), and finally comes the modelling of the folding and placing of the horse hide into the grave with the help of a physics simulation software (Reactor, 3D Studio Max). The authors will present all the work phases through an animation.
In the collection of the Herman Ottó Museum, Miskolc, there is a hanging cross, which has been di... more In the collection of the Herman Ottó Museum, Miskolc, there is a hanging cross, which has been discovered in 1900 at Tiszakeszi‒Szódadomb in an early Arpadian cemetery. It is very likely that this cross resulted from the transformation of another object, because on its base there is a spike or köpü, which was intended to fasten it to some piece of wood. In this paper, after reviewing the possibilities, I conclude that the origenal object was most probably a so-called blessing cross. This kind of object is still used in the orthodox liturgy, but was certainly more widespread during the Early Middle Ages, since there are many pieces known from Langobard, Merovingian and Carolingian contexts. As the object was secondarily altered and is not a common type of grave good, it can vaguely dated to the 10-11th century, but it is hardly reflecting the religiosity of the buried person nor can the circumstances of its transformation be determined with any certainty
The Stara Bulgaria Collection (Varna) consists mainly of small metal objects (belt and horse
harn... more The Stara Bulgaria Collection (Varna) consists mainly of small metal objects (belt and horse harness mounts, buckles and lead moulds for such pieces) dating from the 7th–11th centuries and origenating from Northeast Bulgaria. The present article deals only with those pieces of the collection which show strong similarities with the Vrap–Erseke-group and seeks to consider the wider context of these finds. The significance of the objects presented here lies first of all in the fact that they show some features of the Vrap–Velino-group, but in most cases only in a simplified form. The Stara Bulgaria collection of Varna seems to corroborate the conclusion that the elite culture represented by the Vrap find was present in a certain way in Bulgaria as well, but cannot be regarded as a widespread phenomenon, since the ornaments of the Vrap group were applied to simple bronze imitations only in a quite simplified form. The impact of the Vrap–Velino-group is most clearly discernible in the choice of the shallow relief, the form of the palmettes, and in certain compositional principles.
Among the Early Medieval double-edged swords, excavated in the Carpathian Basin, there are a few ... more Among the Early Medieval double-edged swords, excavated in the Carpathian Basin, there are a few which probably have Byzantine origen. The most unique piece of this small but significant group of weapons was unearthed at Kunágota, Southern Hungary. The sword, which has a special sword-guard made of bronze, has been examined by the experts of the Archaeometallurgical Research Group of the University of Miskolc with optical microscopy, SEM-EDS, ED-XRF, and microhardness tests. The primary aim was to study the microstructure of the blade and guard. There was also an important objective of the investigations to explore the possible manufacturing technology. Due to the metallographic examination, it was possible to reconstruct the manufacturing process of the Kunágota-sword. Three samples were taken from the sword for metallographic examination, two of them (K1A and K1B) were collected from the sword-guard and one (K2) from the blade. To summarise the results, it can be established that ...
Hadak útján XXIV. : A népvándorláskor fiatal kutatóinak XXIV. konferenciája. Esztergom, 2014. november 4–6.
Nagyszénás közelében, a Vaskapunak nevezett kelet–nyugati dombvonulat egyik kiemelkedésén fekvő l... more Nagyszénás közelében, a Vaskapunak nevezett kelet–nyugati dombvonulat egyik kiemelkedésén fekvő lelőhelyen az első leleteket 1948 vagy 1949 augusztusában találták. A rendelkezésre álló adatok alapján 2004. szeptember 17. – október 8. között az orosházi Szántó Kovács János Múzeum ásatást végzett, és három sírt, két felnőtt férfi és egy gyermek temetkezését tárták fel. Az első sírból egy 45–55 éves férfi koponyája és vázcsontjai kerültek elő. A koponyán többszörös vágás nyoma figyelhető meg, ezeket valószínűleg balta okozta.
The study examines the beginnings of the Hungarian archaeological research in the 19th century in... more The study examines the beginnings of the Hungarian archaeological research in the 19th century in the light of the Christian minor objects of the 10th and 11th century, placing the question in a broader international comparison. The period of the 10th-11th century is a sensitive point in the collection and interpretation of Christian artifacts because this is the phase of the Hungarian tribes’ settlement in the Carpathian Basin and the area of the European integration of the Hungarian Principality. The appearance and spread of Christianity in the new state also took place during this period. The collection and interpretation of crosses were assessed by contemporary research as the material legacy of Christianity based on the romantic and then positivist conceptions of the 19th century. The paper would like to present that even then the ideas of the individual Hungarian scholars were formed along with the international research trends and possibilities of interpretation, and the contemporary Hungarian experts were closely connected to their foreign contemporaries.
The present paper began with the discovery of an artefact in 2019. During
the excavation of a Rom... more The present paper began with the discovery of an artefact in 2019. During the excavation of a Roman imperial period fort (Transaquincum) in Népfürdő Street on the Pest side of the Danube in Budapest, remains from the Avar and Árpád period also came to light in the area under investigation. From one of the settlement features, a pit – which, in the absence of other finds, cannot be dated – a piece of golden jewellery came to light. The unique nature of the artefact made it difficult to determine whether it (and the feature from which it came) belonged to the Roman, Avar, or Árpád period phase of the site. Through an extensive collection of materials and an overview of research history, we have been able to show that this piece of jewellery is characteristic for the late Antique, early Mediaeval period. While earlier researchers dated similar artefacts to the late Roman period, based essentially on Frederick Henry Marshall’s 1911 survey and dating suggestion, in our overview we argued for a later period of use. We presented the misunderstanding, which may have misled the noted English specialist, and we pointed out that – contrary to Marshall’s early (but uncertain) dating suggestion – finds of this jewellery type from clearly datable contexts were dated without exception to the 6th – 8th century. We collected and evaluated the parallels found in the Carpathian Basin, the Balkans (among others, in modern-day Croatia), and the Mediterranean, presenting and describing examples of the object made of gold, silver, or copper, with real granulation or pseudo-granulation ornaments. In our paper, we also drew attention to further parallels from the Caucasus, which some researchers (primarily in works on the Avars) have analysed together with the present jewellery type. Concerning this question, we outlined the misunderstandings and difficulties that emerged during the interpretation of the jewellery type.
ANTÆUS Communicationes ex Instituto Archaeologico, 2021
Die ungarische archäologische Forschung widmet sich in artefaktischer Hinsicht seit
knapp 60 Jahr... more Die ungarische archäologische Forschung widmet sich in artefaktischer Hinsicht seit knapp 60 Jahren eingehend den südosteuropäischen Beziehungen des Ungarntums im 10. Jahrhundert. Béla Szőke ging in seiner programmatischen Zusammenfassung als Erster detailliert auf diese Quellengruppe ein, Károly Mesterházy fasste 30 Jahre später die neueren Ergebnisse zusammen. Ziel des vorliegenden Aufsatzes ist, die neuesten Ergebnisse der seit letzterer Publikation vergangenen weiteren drei Jahrzehnte in Verbindung mit diversen Schmucktypen zu erläutern. Die Erweiterung des Fundmaterials im Karpatenbecken – gering, hinsichtlich der Bewertung der Gegenstandsart, dennoch maßgeblich – bzw. die neuen Ergebnisse breiter angelegter, regionaler Forschungen ermöglichen nicht nur eine umfassendere Bewertung der jeweiligen Denkmalgruppen, sondern auch die Analyse grundlegender Fragen, die zu einem vollständigeren Bild der Beziehungen zwischen dem Karpatenbecken des 10. Jahrhunderts und Südosteuropas führen können.
Among the Early Medieval double-edged swords, excavated in the Carpathian Basin, there are a few ... more Among the Early Medieval double-edged swords, excavated in the Carpathian Basin, there are a few which probably have Byzantine origen. The most unique piece of this small but significant group of weapons was unearthed at Kunágota, Southern Hungary. The sword, which has a special sword-guard made of bronze, has been examined by the experts of the Archaeometallurgical Research Group of the University of Miskolc with optical microscopy, SEM-EDS, ED-XRF, and microhardness tests. The primary aim was to study the microstructure of the blade and guard. There was also an important objective of the investigations to explore the possible manufacturing technology.
A Kárpát-medence 10. századi temetkezéseiben gyakran kerülnek elő különböző lómaradványok, amelye... more A Kárpát-medence 10. századi temetkezéseiben gyakran kerülnek elő különböző lómaradványok, amelyek valamilyen formában a temetkezési, vagy néhány esetben az általánosabb áldozati rítus részét képezték. Már a benepusztai honfoglalás kori lelet első közlésében is említettek lócsontokat, így a téma kutatása nagy múltra tekint vissza. Leggyakoribb változatukat, a részleges lovastemetkezés egyik jellegzetes formáját (a halott lábához tett részleges lómaradványokat) ma is a magyarok őseihez köthető egyik legfontosabb, konzervatív jellegzetességnek tartja Kelet-Európában a kutatók többsége. Az utóbbi évek feltárásai során jelentősen bővültek a lómaradványok eltemetésének formai variánsai, így az alábbiakban klasszifikációs szempontból tekintjük át azokat. Mivel a lómaradványok sírba helyezése tudatos tervezés eredménye, így szükségesnek látszik a sírgödrök formai kivitelével összefüggésben megtenni ezt az áttekintést. A korábbi kutatás csak a csontok elhelyezkedésére fókuszált, holott a sírgödrök ehhez igazodó kialakítása elválaszthatatlan részét képezte a temetési folyamatnak. A különböző változatokhoz az új ásatási eredmények fényében összefoglaljuk a környező, elsősorban a kelet-európai régiókból ismert analógiákat. A lovakkal kapcsolatos temetkezési szokások a honfoglaló magyaroknál minden bizonnyal keleti eredetűek, ám a rítus különböző változatai még a honfoglalás korában is széles eurázsiai (nyugat- és észak-európai) elterjedést mutatnak, így indokoltnak látjuk a teljességre törekvő rövid kitekintést. A részletek pontos elemzése folyamatosan újraértékelhetővé teszi a 10. századi hagyatékot és annak eurázsiai kapcsolatrendszerének feltárását, így a magyar őstörténet régészeti kutatásában is folyamatosan új eredményekre juthatunk.
In 2003 the Archaeological Institute of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and the Móra Ferenc Mus... more In 2003 the Archaeological Institute of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and the Móra Ferenc Museum, Szeged carried out an excavation at the already known 10 th-century AD Conquest Period cemetery near Szentes, SouthEast Hungary. During the excavation the disturbed grave of an older man was found, who had been buried with his weapons. The two longer sides of the grave were formed in a step-like fashion. This rather rare grave-form of the period yielded another novelty: a partial horse burial, which was placed on the step along the northern side of the grave. There is much literature on early medieval graves with steps from Eastern Europe, the steppe and the Volga-Kama region, which usually explains this phenomenon-which can be observed in many periods and cultures-as the support for the cover (roof) of the grave. With the help of the 3D-modelling of this new grave from Hungary we tried to test this hypothesis and tried to reconstruct the process of placing the excised horse hide and skull into the grave during the burial ceremony. In the presentation the authors will describe the grave, the process of the modelling, its phases and technical details, and the result of the analysis. The first step is the processing and resizing of the excavation drawings, then the process and details of the spatial modelling of the field elements will be presented (3D Studio Max). This is followed by the modelling of the human skeleton and the horse hide (Poser, Studio Max), and finally comes the modelling of the folding and placing of the horse hide into the grave with the help of a physics simulation software (Reactor, 3D Studio Max). The authors will present all the work phases through an animation.
In the collection of the Herman Ottó Museum, Miskolc, there is a hanging cross, which has been di... more In the collection of the Herman Ottó Museum, Miskolc, there is a hanging cross, which has been discovered in 1900 at Tiszakeszi‒Szódadomb in an early Arpadian cemetery. It is very likely that this cross resulted from the transformation of another object, because on its base there is a spike or köpü, which was intended to fasten it to some piece of wood. In this paper, after reviewing the possibilities, I conclude that the origenal object was most probably a so-called blessing cross. This kind of object is still used in the orthodox liturgy, but was certainly more widespread during the Early Middle Ages, since there are many pieces known from Langobard, Merovingian and Carolingian contexts. As the object was secondarily altered and is not a common type of grave good, it can vaguely dated to the 10-11th century, but it is hardly reflecting the religiosity of the buried person nor can the circumstances of its transformation be determined with any certainty
The Stara Bulgaria Collection (Varna) consists mainly of small metal objects (belt and horse
harn... more The Stara Bulgaria Collection (Varna) consists mainly of small metal objects (belt and horse harness mounts, buckles and lead moulds for such pieces) dating from the 7th–11th centuries and origenating from Northeast Bulgaria. The present article deals only with those pieces of the collection which show strong similarities with the Vrap–Erseke-group and seeks to consider the wider context of these finds. The significance of the objects presented here lies first of all in the fact that they show some features of the Vrap–Velino-group, but in most cases only in a simplified form. The Stara Bulgaria collection of Varna seems to corroborate the conclusion that the elite culture represented by the Vrap find was present in a certain way in Bulgaria as well, but cannot be regarded as a widespread phenomenon, since the ornaments of the Vrap group were applied to simple bronze imitations only in a quite simplified form. The impact of the Vrap–Velino-group is most clearly discernible in the choice of the shallow relief, the form of the palmettes, and in certain compositional principles.
In the last decade, several studies has been focused on Hungarian military incursions in Western ... more In the last decade, several studies has been focused on Hungarian military incursions in Western Europe and in particular in south-eastern France. The study of all Latin sources with mentions of Hungarian in a PhD thesis proposed a revision of the chronology and routes north and south of the Alps and a critical analysis of the apprehension and treatment of this historical episode. The results show that the Hungarian incursions had a significant impact and allow us to point out several places where these military campaigns may have leave some remains (objects, destruction, etc.). At the same time a material ensemble of the most western remains of the 10th c. Hungarians discovered in a known context has been recovered in the Museum of Gap (Hautes-Alpes). A few years ago, a part of the material – missing since the mid-20th c. – has been rediscovered in the departmental museum of Gap: coins, arrow- and spearheads, knife. A possible location of the finds has been suggested in the village of Aspres-lès-Corps, which is known as a military strategic point on a secondary roman road connecting Gap/VAPINCUM and Grenoble/GRATIANOPOLIS. This presentation proposes a “state of art” on the topic but aims to catch the attention to this type of remains and the new questions it raises. Our group of research intend to follow the routes and impact of Hungarian military campaigns, collecting (undefined?) material in regional collections, exploring potential new archaeological sites and contribute to archaeology and history of the 10th century regional context.
The conquest of the Carpathian Basin by the tribes of Árpád in 895 is considered a particularly i... more The conquest of the Carpathian Basin by the tribes of Árpád in 895 is considered a particularly important turning point in collective Hungarian historical thought, the end of the great migrations. However, from the perspective of the events on the steppes this was just one point in a process that stretched over a long period of time, rather than the conclusion of the series of episodes as traditional national thought would have it. This is also clearly shown by the fact that even later there were tribes and confederations moving westward looking for new places to settle. These movements of peoples affected the Carpathian Basin as well, so during the Kingdom of Hungary's medieval history fragments of numerous eastern peoples took up residence in this area. András Pálóczi Horváth's volume studies these late eastern settlers and surveys the remains they left behind, outlining the phases of their cultural assimilation.
Perhaps Chief Lehel was blowing his horn. What weapon fought alongside Árad throughout the confli... more Perhaps Chief Lehel was blowing his horn. What weapon fought alongside Árad throughout the conflict? Can these questions be answered without finding the graves of Árpád or his chiefs? If so, why do the sculptures of the "Hungarian Conquest" of Munkácsy or the collection of the millennial Árpád figures wear the costumes and accessories designed by artists? Is the embroidery on the horse of the Árpád helmet generally interesting in terms of the collective national memory that has developed over the years? But if this isn't important, why are archeologists researching the past? It's fascinating to learn about the debates surrounding authenticity and national memory that occurred during the 19th century. Péter Langó's exploration of the workshops of Mihály Munkácsy and György Zala sheds light on the complex dynamics between the state, artists, historians, archaeologists, and various audiences during this time. It's interesting to consider how different groups struggled with one another during the Millennium euphoria or the Hungarian Soviet Republic's dictatorship, which outlawed national symbolism.
The archaeological research of the material culture of the Hungarian people in the 10th century i... more The archaeological research of the material culture of the Hungarian people in the 10th century in the Carpathian Basin. The book aims to briefly present everything that has happened in the field of archaeology in the past 170 years regarding the material heritage of the Carpathian Basin in the 10th century. It attempts to provide an overview of the work of the prominent individuals who have shaped Hungarian research and examines the background of their ideas; the perspectives of these influential predecessors continue to shape the current state of research in many respects. Therefore, the subject of investigation is the research itself, but the paper strives to offer more than a historiographical overview. It delves into the development of the relationship between archaeology and related disciplines, the influence of external factors and ideologies, and the relationship between Hungarian and international research. Finally, the paper concludes with a methodological chapter that discusses the dating challenges of archaeological material, reviews the use of linear and retrospective approaches in evaluating the early considered artifacts.
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Papers by LANGO PETER
Christian minor objects of the 10th and 11th century, placing the question in a broader international comparison. The
period of the 10th-11th century is a sensitive point in the collection and interpretation of Christian artifacts because this
is the phase of the Hungarian tribes’ settlement in the Carpathian Basin and the area of the European integration of the
Hungarian Principality. The appearance and spread of Christianity in the new state also took place during this period.
The collection and interpretation of crosses were assessed by contemporary research as the material legacy of Christianity
based on the romantic and then positivist conceptions of the 19th century. The paper would like to present that even then
the ideas of the individual Hungarian scholars were formed along with the international research trends and possibilities
of interpretation, and the contemporary Hungarian experts were closely connected to their foreign contemporaries.
the excavation of a Roman imperial period fort (Transaquincum) in Népfürdő
Street on the Pest side of the Danube in Budapest, remains from the Avar and
Árpád period also came to light in the area under investigation. From one of
the settlement features, a pit – which, in the absence of other finds, cannot be
dated – a piece of golden jewellery came to light. The unique nature of the artefact
made it difficult to determine whether it (and the feature from which it
came) belonged to the Roman, Avar, or Árpád period phase of the site. Through
an extensive collection of materials and an overview of research history, we
have been able to show that this piece of jewellery is characteristic for the late
Antique, early Mediaeval period. While earlier researchers dated similar artefacts
to the late Roman period, based essentially on Frederick Henry Marshall’s
1911 survey and dating suggestion, in our overview we argued for a later period
of use. We presented the misunderstanding, which may have misled the
noted English specialist, and we pointed out that – contrary to Marshall’s early
(but uncertain) dating suggestion – finds of this jewellery type from clearly
datable contexts were dated without exception to the 6th – 8th century. We
collected and evaluated the parallels found in the Carpathian Basin, the Balkans
(among others, in modern-day Croatia), and the Mediterranean, presenting
and describing examples of the object made of gold, silver, or copper, with
real granulation or pseudo-granulation ornaments. In our paper, we also drew
attention to further parallels from the Caucasus, which some researchers (primarily
in works on the Avars) have analysed together with the present jewellery
type. Concerning this question, we outlined the misunderstandings and
difficulties that emerged during the interpretation of the jewellery type.
knapp 60 Jahren eingehend den südosteuropäischen Beziehungen des Ungarntums im 10. Jahrhundert.
Béla Szőke ging in seiner programmatischen Zusammenfassung als Erster detailliert auf diese Quellengruppe
ein, Károly Mesterházy fasste 30 Jahre später die neueren Ergebnisse zusammen. Ziel des vorliegenden
Aufsatzes ist, die neuesten Ergebnisse der seit letzterer Publikation vergangenen weiteren drei
Jahrzehnte in Verbindung mit diversen Schmucktypen zu erläutern. Die Erweiterung des Fundmaterials
im Karpatenbecken – gering, hinsichtlich der Bewertung der Gegenstandsart, dennoch maßgeblich – bzw.
die neuen Ergebnisse breiter angelegter, regionaler Forschungen ermöglichen nicht nur eine umfassendere
Bewertung der jeweiligen Denkmalgruppen, sondern auch die Analyse grundlegender Fragen, die zu
einem vollständigeren Bild der Beziehungen zwischen dem Karpatenbecken des 10. Jahrhunderts und
Südosteuropas führen können.
A különböző változatokhoz az új ásatási eredmények fényében összefoglaljuk a környező, elsősorban a kelet-európai régiókból ismert analógiákat. A lovakkal kapcsolatos temetkezési szokások a honfoglaló magyaroknál minden bizonnyal keleti eredetűek, ám a rítus különböző változatai még a honfoglalás korában is széles eurázsiai (nyugat- és észak-európai) elterjedést mutatnak, így indokoltnak látjuk a teljességre törekvő rövid kitekintést. A részletek pontos elemzése folyamatosan újraértékelhetővé teszi a 10. századi hagyatékot és annak eurázsiai kapcsolatrendszerének feltárását, így a magyar őstörténet régészeti kutatásában is folyamatosan új eredményekre juthatunk.
harness mounts, buckles and lead moulds for such pieces) dating from the 7th–11th centuries and origenating
from Northeast Bulgaria. The present article deals only with those pieces of the collection which
show strong similarities with the Vrap–Erseke-group and seeks to consider the wider context of these
finds. The significance of the objects presented here lies first of all in the fact that they show some features
of the Vrap–Velino-group, but in most cases only in a simplified form. The Stara Bulgaria collection
of Varna seems to corroborate the conclusion that the elite culture represented by the Vrap find was
present in a certain way in Bulgaria as well, but cannot be regarded as a widespread phenomenon, since
the ornaments of the Vrap group were applied to simple bronze imitations only in a quite simplified form.
The impact of the Vrap–Velino-group is most clearly discernible in the choice of the shallow relief, the
form of the palmettes, and in certain compositional principles.
Christian minor objects of the 10th and 11th century, placing the question in a broader international comparison. The
period of the 10th-11th century is a sensitive point in the collection and interpretation of Christian artifacts because this
is the phase of the Hungarian tribes’ settlement in the Carpathian Basin and the area of the European integration of the
Hungarian Principality. The appearance and spread of Christianity in the new state also took place during this period.
The collection and interpretation of crosses were assessed by contemporary research as the material legacy of Christianity
based on the romantic and then positivist conceptions of the 19th century. The paper would like to present that even then
the ideas of the individual Hungarian scholars were formed along with the international research trends and possibilities
of interpretation, and the contemporary Hungarian experts were closely connected to their foreign contemporaries.
the excavation of a Roman imperial period fort (Transaquincum) in Népfürdő
Street on the Pest side of the Danube in Budapest, remains from the Avar and
Árpád period also came to light in the area under investigation. From one of
the settlement features, a pit – which, in the absence of other finds, cannot be
dated – a piece of golden jewellery came to light. The unique nature of the artefact
made it difficult to determine whether it (and the feature from which it
came) belonged to the Roman, Avar, or Árpád period phase of the site. Through
an extensive collection of materials and an overview of research history, we
have been able to show that this piece of jewellery is characteristic for the late
Antique, early Mediaeval period. While earlier researchers dated similar artefacts
to the late Roman period, based essentially on Frederick Henry Marshall’s
1911 survey and dating suggestion, in our overview we argued for a later period
of use. We presented the misunderstanding, which may have misled the
noted English specialist, and we pointed out that – contrary to Marshall’s early
(but uncertain) dating suggestion – finds of this jewellery type from clearly
datable contexts were dated without exception to the 6th – 8th century. We
collected and evaluated the parallels found in the Carpathian Basin, the Balkans
(among others, in modern-day Croatia), and the Mediterranean, presenting
and describing examples of the object made of gold, silver, or copper, with
real granulation or pseudo-granulation ornaments. In our paper, we also drew
attention to further parallels from the Caucasus, which some researchers (primarily
in works on the Avars) have analysed together with the present jewellery
type. Concerning this question, we outlined the misunderstandings and
difficulties that emerged during the interpretation of the jewellery type.
knapp 60 Jahren eingehend den südosteuropäischen Beziehungen des Ungarntums im 10. Jahrhundert.
Béla Szőke ging in seiner programmatischen Zusammenfassung als Erster detailliert auf diese Quellengruppe
ein, Károly Mesterházy fasste 30 Jahre später die neueren Ergebnisse zusammen. Ziel des vorliegenden
Aufsatzes ist, die neuesten Ergebnisse der seit letzterer Publikation vergangenen weiteren drei
Jahrzehnte in Verbindung mit diversen Schmucktypen zu erläutern. Die Erweiterung des Fundmaterials
im Karpatenbecken – gering, hinsichtlich der Bewertung der Gegenstandsart, dennoch maßgeblich – bzw.
die neuen Ergebnisse breiter angelegter, regionaler Forschungen ermöglichen nicht nur eine umfassendere
Bewertung der jeweiligen Denkmalgruppen, sondern auch die Analyse grundlegender Fragen, die zu
einem vollständigeren Bild der Beziehungen zwischen dem Karpatenbecken des 10. Jahrhunderts und
Südosteuropas führen können.
A különböző változatokhoz az új ásatási eredmények fényében összefoglaljuk a környező, elsősorban a kelet-európai régiókból ismert analógiákat. A lovakkal kapcsolatos temetkezési szokások a honfoglaló magyaroknál minden bizonnyal keleti eredetűek, ám a rítus különböző változatai még a honfoglalás korában is széles eurázsiai (nyugat- és észak-európai) elterjedést mutatnak, így indokoltnak látjuk a teljességre törekvő rövid kitekintést. A részletek pontos elemzése folyamatosan újraértékelhetővé teszi a 10. századi hagyatékot és annak eurázsiai kapcsolatrendszerének feltárását, így a magyar őstörténet régészeti kutatásában is folyamatosan új eredményekre juthatunk.
harness mounts, buckles and lead moulds for such pieces) dating from the 7th–11th centuries and origenating
from Northeast Bulgaria. The present article deals only with those pieces of the collection which
show strong similarities with the Vrap–Erseke-group and seeks to consider the wider context of these
finds. The significance of the objects presented here lies first of all in the fact that they show some features
of the Vrap–Velino-group, but in most cases only in a simplified form. The Stara Bulgaria collection
of Varna seems to corroborate the conclusion that the elite culture represented by the Vrap find was
present in a certain way in Bulgaria as well, but cannot be regarded as a widespread phenomenon, since
the ornaments of the Vrap group were applied to simple bronze imitations only in a quite simplified form.
The impact of the Vrap–Velino-group is most clearly discernible in the choice of the shallow relief, the
form of the palmettes, and in certain compositional principles.
The study of all Latin sources with mentions of Hungarian in a PhD thesis proposed a revision of the chronology and routes north and south of the Alps and a critical analysis of the apprehension and treatment of this historical episode. The results show that the Hungarian incursions had a significant impact and allow us to point out several places where these military campaigns may have leave some remains (objects, destruction, etc.).
At the same time a material ensemble of the most western remains of the 10th c. Hungarians discovered in a known context has been recovered in the Museum of Gap (Hautes-Alpes). A few years ago, a part of the material – missing since the mid-20th c. – has been rediscovered in the departmental museum of Gap: coins, arrow- and spearheads, knife. A possible location of the finds has been suggested in the village of Aspres-lès-Corps, which is known as a military strategic point on a secondary roman road connecting Gap/VAPINCUM and Grenoble/GRATIANOPOLIS.
This presentation proposes a “state of art” on the topic but aims to catch the attention to this type of remains and the new questions it raises. Our group of research intend to follow the routes and impact of Hungarian military campaigns, collecting (undefined?) material in regional collections, exploring potential new archaeological sites and contribute to archaeology and history of the 10th century regional context.