A Móra Ferenc Múzeum Évkönyve 2014., Új folyam 1. (Szeged, 2014)

RÉGÉSZET - Szalontai Csaba - Benedek András - Károly László: A Kiskundorozsma Kettőshatár úti II. avar temető 434. sírja

Csaba Szalontai - András Benedek - László Károly

Grave Nr. 434 of the Avar Cemetery II in Kiskundorozsma

originating from the Madrid region. This fact suggests that the box was made by either a Byzantine craftsman, or by a Western Mediterranean goldsmith, similarly to the belt fitting from Dorozsma.

In terms of technology the fitting may be classified as a member of a distinctive group of Late Avar Period metal items called the Hohenberg-group.

The fitting from Dorozsma was presumably made by a craftsman who knew Mediterranean motives well and was able to prepare himself a few of them, and thus made the fitting for an Avar customer. Due to the unique features of the fitting, the unparalleled high quality of the depiction, the technology of the decoration, and its comparisons with the Treasure of Nagyszentmiklós, the object was most likely made using Avar motives, but by a craftsman of not Avar origin.

Since the type of runic writing used by the Avar population has not yet been decoded, each newly discovered item is of high importance for researchers. The presented bone plates with runic writing on them are thus of academic significance among other finds from the Avar Period.

The palaeographic analysis of the runic writing on the bone plates and its comparison with research results listed in scientific literature have thrown light upon several emerging scientific questions so far not yet studied.

Consequently, present palaeographic research focuses primarily on questions and problems which are considered significant in

East-European runic writing research. With the help of the five fundamental principles outlined in present study, a system was defined here enabling researchers to process undeciphered runic inscriptions systematically, complemented by the systematic comparison of memorial objects, at the same time excluding methodically wrong interpretations.

The categorization of the runic symbols on the bone plates, and their comparison with the letters of other Eurasian runic inscriptions highlights the danger hidden in oversimplified, so called ‘naiv’ comparisons.

Present study does not provide a 'real' solution for understanding the texts written on the bone plates, however, through a brief example it strives at presenting the core issues of interpretation and the steps leading toward decoding.

The paper concludes that the available finds are not sufficient enough in order to provide a doubtless solution for the interpretation of runic writings from the Avar Period.

The archaeological excavation of the Cemetery Nr. II at Kettőshatár Steer provides significant data for both historians and linguists: the mongoloid character of the cemetery is another example for the supposition according to which runic writing was brought to the Carpathian Basin by a mongoloid population. Furthermore, the wealth of the community of the excavated cemetery, especially that of the mature man buried in grave Nr. 434, suggests that runic writing was used predominantly by the leading class, mainly for sacral purposes.

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