Szolyák Péter - Csengeri Piroska (szerk.): A Herman Ottó Múzeum Évkönyve 56. (Miskolc, 2017)
Régészet - Soós, Eszter et al.: Settlement and graves from Hernádvécse (NE-Hungary) in the 5th century AD: relation of living space and burial place in the Hun Period
54 Soós, Eszter—Bárány, Annamária—Köhler, Kitti—Pusztai, Tamás Fig. 4 Hernádvécse—Nagy rét site 4. Collar-bones from grave str.309. 4. kép Hernádvécse—Nagy rét, 4. Ih. Л Str.309 sír halottjának kulcscsontja cm, rim diameter: 11 cm, bottom diameter: 10.5 cm, handle diameter: 2.2 cm. 2.2.3. Funerary customs The graves from Hernádvécse represent the typical Hunnic period custom of small grave groups or lonely burials (Straub 2014, 207). The practice of orientating the dead to the west appeared in the Tiszadob-type cemeteries in the Upper Tisza Region at the end of the 4th century AD and became exclusive all over the Carpathian Basin in the second half of the 5th century AD (RAcz 2016, 307-309, Abb. 2—3). The long, narrow gravepit form was similar to the west-oriented graves in the Tiszadob cemetery (Istvánovits 1991, 35) and can be observed in a number of Hunnic period burials as well.4 Based on an iron nail found in grave Str.309, the deceased was laid in a coffin. Similar iron coffin nails 4 For instance: Hajdúnánás—Fürj—halom járás (RÁcz 2014, 204); Egerlövő-Homokpart, grave 25. (LovAsz 1991,1. t) were common in late Sarmatian graves5 their use in Gepidic burials was common (Nagy 1993a, 61). 2.2.4. Grave goods 2.2.4.1. Bronze brooch with carved decoration A foot fragment of a long bronze brooch came to light from the grave Str.l belonging to a child. The molded bronze fragment is poorly preserved, long, narrow, straight and decorated with carved ornaments ('Kerbschnitt). Its form and length have no analogies yet in the Carpathian Basin, thus it can be considered as a unique piece. The antecedents of the artefact can be traced back to several cultural traditions. Based on the recent research, the spreading of the molded, carved dress items were started from the middle of the 5th century (Nagy 1993b, 72; Martin 1994, 545—546) or from the beginning of the middle third of the 5th century AD (Tejral 2015, 324). It is noteworthy that molded brooch with a straight, narrow foot were uncommon. Hungarian and Bohemian research suspects the antecedent of the molded, carved types with semicircular headplate in alemann territories (Straub 2008, 189-190, 1. kép). In the second phase of the Meroving cemeteries in South Germany (SD 2) brooches with a straight foot ending with stylized animal head were specific in 460-480. Its antecedents with ribbed foot were present from the middle of the 5th century AD (Koch 2001, 48 and 72, Abb 12-13). The Béndekpuszta-type brooches appeared in the Carpathian Basin somewhat earlier, in the middle third of the 5th century AD (Tfjral 2005,121—122; Tk|ral 2008, Abb. 3). Brooches with a straight foot also can be found in Gepidic cemeteries in the last third of the 5th century.6 Mechthild Schulze-Dörlamm has drawn the attention that the type with straight foot can be related also with the brooches with a semicircular bow and an inverted foot belonged to the late Roman military clothing. In the Elbe region the pieces with straight foot became part of the Germanic male costume as insignia in the middle third of the 5th century AD. They were also widespread in the female burials later, in the protomeroving period (Schulze-Dörlamm 2000, 5 Istvánovits 1991, 36. As Tiszadob—Sziget grave 14 and 23. (IstvAnovits 1993, Abb. 7, 1-5, Abb. 11, 8-9); Sándorfalva- Eperjes grave 7-8. (Vörös 1985, 157-158). 6 For example, Hódmezővásárhely—Kishomok grave 105. (Bóna— Nagy 2002,75. Abb. 59,1), Szolnok-Szanda grave 114. (Bóna 2002, 216, Taf. 44, 3; 102, 1). The pieces were dated between 460—500 AD by Margit Nagy.
