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

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

the surface was covered by a single lined wine with shoots bearing dotcircles falling into half palmetted leaf bunches at the widening areas. After the reconstruction they were placed on the equestrian side of the curve of the double bordered pommel. Immediately under these plates were the two and two bone plates of the right and left curves of the front pommel. They were found with their net-palmetted decoration on top. The distance between the two plate pairs was measured at 5.6—6.0 cm (fig. 8). According to earlier saddle reconstructions such slipping could have been theorized, but during the clearing up of the 0.5 cm wide vertical framing bone ribbons turned up, separating the right and left plate pairs. Thus the theory of slipping had to be excluded. These ribbons started from the saddle-tree and followed the bone plates of the front pommel on the upper edges, very smoothly to the lower curve of the pommel which was unbordered, just like the joint of the saddle-tree and the pommel. These bordering plates were fastened to the wooden base, emerging from the plane of the pommel, by iron nails. It was unfortunate to see that the bone plates close to the S W side of the grave, thus the curved-cut netpalmette decorated saddle-tree, part of the covering too, came down to us in a very fragmented state compared to the other ones. Their colouring is light yellow, whereas the further lying plate pieces were brownish, bright, and in a good state of preservation. Most likely the disintegration of rotting substances in the grave must have played a role in this. Unless we presume a 180° move of the front pommel plates and bordering bon eribbons due torottingand settling of the soil of the grave, the saddle must have been dlaced into the grave in broken pieces. Not accepting this theory, only another one remains, that the bone plates of the front pommel covered the insi de of the pommel and most of them were covered by the saddecushion. However no information is known of such ornamentation. Since the pommel curves stayed intact according to the position of the plates, unbelievable it may be, the saddle-tree must have been broken. The saddle could have got into the grave by leaning the two saddle Fig. 9. The bone plate of the left side of the front pommel 9. kép. A bal oldali első kápa csontlemeze 147