Liska András - Szatmári Imre: Sötét idők rejtélyei. 6-11. századi régészeti emlékek a Kárpát-medencében és környékén - Tempora Obscura 3. (Békéscsaba, 2012)
Szelekovszky Márta: Excavation of a settlement and cemetery part of the Avarian Age in the vicinity of Furta (County Hajdú-Bihar). Preliminary report
AVAR KORI TELEP- ES TEMETORESZLET FELTARASA... MÁRTA SZELEKOVSZKY EXCAVATION OF A SETTLEMENT AND CEMETERY PART OF THE A VARI AN AGE IN THE VICINITY OF FÚRTA (COUNTY HAJDÚ-BIHAR) PRELIMINARY REPORT (Summary) In the course of the archaeological investigation preceding construction works of the Furta- Sas-T-I (DN 150 PN 100) pipeline invested by MOL Hungarian Oil and Gas Company, the Archaeological Department of the Museums of County Hajdú-Bihar conducted excavations in the sites Sasi-lapos I. and Dévánszki-dülő between July 15th and September 21st, 2010. The high level of ground waters made it difficult to excavate the sites that proved to include a part of an Avarian cemetery and of a settlement organically related to the cemetery. We succeeded in finding the edges of the Late Avarian settlement, with its bordering ditches and water channels. The find material can be characterised with pottery decorated with wavy lines. South of the settlement, at a hill separated by a small spring, burials dated to the same period were found. We excavated 14 graves organised in regular rows, situated almost at the same distance from each other. In grave 7/7 we found two skeletons (7/7 and 7/14) belonging to two adult men. The most significant grave of the cemetery (16/27) contained an also adult male who was buried in a large coffin supplied with iron clamps. Among his grave-goods we found a parade belt decorated with plates. Close to him, at the right side, his horse was buried orientated in an opposite way. The horse was placed into the grave with iron pieces of harness: bridle and stirrups. The saddle - the iron parts of which had been preserved - was situated in a reverse position. Female graves of the cemetery were somewhat poorer, but also contained grave-goods: lathe-turned bone needle-sheath, iron knife, iron sickle, earring with bead pendant. The cemetery must have been a part of a small family necropolis that continued both to the NW and SE from the track of the pipeline. It could include a total of around 40-50 burials. Graves had not been looted. Due to the high level of ground waters iron grave-goods were found like “new ones”. The cemetery itself suits into the series of the Late Avarian cemeteries of County Hajdú-Bihar (Ártánd, Ondód). It is worth of further research. Szelekovszky Márta Déri Múzeum 4026 Debrecen, Déri tér 1. martaszel@freemail. hu 61
