Horváth Attila – H. Tóth Elvira szerk.: Cumania 4. Archeologia (Bács-Kiskun Megyei Múzeumok Közleményei, Kecskemét, 1976)

H. Tóth E.: Az Izsák-balázspusztai honfoglaláskori lovassír

Fig. 2. The disturbed grave 2. kép. A feldúlt sír A telephone call from the Izsák State Farm on May 18,1974,Saturday afternoon reported about the coming to lieht of a human skull and some horse bones, in the course of works of changing posts in the vineyard at Balázspuszta, in its first district, under L(4/8) marks (Plate 1). The site is west of the wide NW-SE sand dune lane which runs accross the area between the Danube and Tisza, and north of the modern Kecskemét—Solt highway (Plate 2). The author driving to the site by the car of the museum to look at the finds was met by Endre Nagy, chief agronomer of the local vineyard, and the farmhands waiting to exchange the old acacia posts to the new concrete types. Mr. Nagy related that as soon as he noticed the bones, he left for the central office to telephone, but while he was gone the farmhands destroyed the grave. Upon his return pieces of human skeletons, a horse skull, and a small undecorated rivet-lined-framed sabretache plate, some broken parts of bridle-bits and stirrups were given to him. According to them the human and horse skulls were close to each other, the silver sabratache plate was not far either. The first step was to clear up the size of the NW (60" deviation from the north) oriented grave: length 185 cm, width 60 cm. The area of the grave was rounded on both ends. Unearthing it, or lather the removal of the disturbed soil, it became clear that the founders completely removed everything from the grave. Finding the first bones, following the human skeleton they took everything out, only a few bones of the foot were in situ at the SE corner of the grave. Above this, somewhat disturbed by some side digings the bone plate decorations of the saddle, in situ, leaned against the wall of the grave, were found. Clearing this up, on both sides of the saddle one perfect and one broken stirrup came to light, behind the saddle and partially under, the two hind leg bones of the horse and a row of caudal vertebrae came to light (Plate 3). The finds and skeletal remains must have been lying 85 cm deep under the present surface. After the complete clearing of the graveditch its original bottom was at 105 cm. Its bottom was curved, it was deepened ina tublike manner. The measured depths are only relative, since great earthworks had been carried out here previously to the planting of the grapes. They removed the humus layer from the site completely. Carefully not to be caught in the usual afternoon thunderstorm the soil removed from the o-rave was о cautiously sifted and examined finding fragments of bow-bones, carved and undecorated bone plate pieces, and two heart-shaped silver mounts. It was obvious that the position of the layered bone plates had to be fixed in order to restore it properly later. Not having a way to do this on the spot, after careful photographing, with tools brought quickly from the museum, the saddle remains were removed completely from the grave in situ (Plate 4). The authenticating excavation could only take place at a later time, due to weather conditions and the farmwork carried out in the area. Some 15 m long and 2 m wide ditches were dug into the grape lane of the grave site, and in the two neighbouring lanes, but no new grave came to light in this 8 x 15 m. excavated area (Plate 5). Nevertheless the site of the grave was excavated again, the soil sifted again, and some more objects 142