Balogh Csilla – P. Fischl Klára: Felgyő, Ürmös-tanya. A Móra Ferenc Múzeum Évkönyve: Monumenta Archeologica 1. (Szeged, 2010)

The Avar Cemetery at Felgyő, Ürmős-Tanya

268 BALOGH Csilla area, from niche graves of the late type (BENDE 2000, 254). Seven burials can be assigned to this horizon in the Danube-Tisza Interfluve: Felgyő, Ürmös-tanya, Graves 143 and 196, Hajós-Cifrahegy, Grave 158 (BALOGH 2009, Cat. no. 3), Kiskunmajsa-Pálos (BALOGH 2009, Cat. no. 4), MadarasBrickyard, Grave 82 (RÁCZ 1999, 355, Fig. 13. 30-32) and Szeged-Fehértó B, Grave 23 (MADARAS 1995, 139, Pl. 4).

1

2 In contrast to the Early Avar burials containing stirrups, bits and girth buckles, the late burials only contained one or the other of these items, and none contained harness sets adorned with mounts, unlike the similar contemporaneous burials in eastern Hungary, such as Graves 154 and 200 of the Szarvas-Grexa Brickyard cemetery (JUHÁSZ 2004, 30, 37, Abb. 17. Taf. 20. 25), Grave 26 of the Rákóczifalva-Kastélydomb cemetery (SELMECZI-MADARAS 1980, 143, PI. 9. 2, 4) and Graves 51 and 239 of the Székkutas-Kápolnadűlő cemetery (B. NAGY 2003, 22, 39. Figs 20-24). The Late Avar burials containing horse harness from the Danube-Tisza Interfluve differ from the similar graves in Transdanubia and the Körös-Tisza-Maros area in one very important respect: they are predominantly female burials. The sexing of the Fehértó burials is uncertain; the lance and sabre from the Kiskunmajsa grave suggest a male burial. The harness articles were always placed in a specific place in the grave, either by the thigh or the hand. Bende noted that the custom of depositing harness articles in the grave briefly replaced horse burials in the Körös-TiszaMaros area in the final third of the 7th century and that this practice could only be traced up the close of the century, when horses again began to be placed in the grave (BENDE 2000. 254). The re-appearance of this custom cannot be precisely dated in the Danube-Tisza Interfluve owing to the extensive looting of the burials of the later Avar period. The burial grounds at Hajós and Madaras (RÁCZ 1999. 371) were opened in the last third of the 7th century. The graves with harness sets can be found in the middle part of these cemeteries and generally represent the earliest burials. In other words, the late group of burials with horse harness appeared in the Danube-Tisza Interfluve at the time this custom was on the decline in the Körös-Tisza-Maros area or, better said, when the communities in the latter region again reverted to the practice of burying horses, not only in the case of men, but also of women. FOOD OFFERINGS AND ANIMAL SACRIFICES IN THE BURIALS Animal bones and eggs represent the remains of food offerings and sacrifices in the burials. Most animal bones are the remains of food offerings, rather than of sacrificial animals, as are the eggs in the majority of cases, although in some cases they undoubtedly had a symbolic meaning too. Animal sacrifices Altogether 25 graves (11.5%) of the Felgyő cemetery contained animal sacrifices, coming from 29 individuals. Animal teeth and animal attributes, recovered from six graves, too represent animal sacrifices. 21 burials contained one animal sacrifice, three burials (Graves 100, 149 and 157) contained two animal sacrifices, while one burial (Grave 128) contained three different animal sacrifices or attributes. Sheep, cattle, domestic hen, rooster and domestic goose were the animals sacrificed at Felgyő. Articulate animal skeletons were rare, indicating that only certain parts of the animal were placed in the grave. Only the animal's skull was deposited in two cases, and only the mandible in one case. Animal sacrifices were identified in 16 male burials, 9 female burials, two child burials, a juvenile burial and in two burials which could not be sexed. Most were placed in the region of the legs, usually beside them, although in three graves the sacrifices were found by the upper arm and by the skull in two burials. Animal sacrifices were represented by domestic hen in twenty graves, by a rooster in two burials (Graves 5 and 100) and by domestic goose in one burial (Grave 188). Eleven of these were male burials, nine were female burials and the burial of a juvenile girl, while one burial could not be sexed. 18 burials (Graves 4, 5, 59, 95, 114, 124, 141, 159, 161, 170, 181, 199, 200, 202, 205, 228 and 234) contained a single domestic poultry, four male burials (Graves 100, 128, 149 and 157) contained two domestic fowls, three burials contained two domestic hens and Grave 100 a hen and a rooster. None of the domestic poultry remains recovered from the burials represented a complete skeleton: ten burials (Graves 4, 95, 124, 128, 149, 161, 170, 181,202 and 205) yielded partial skeletons which, in addition to the taphonomical losses, also lacked certain parts of the skeleton, such as the spine, the limb bones or their ends. In six cases, the head was missing from the complete skeleton (Graves 5, 100, 114, 188, 200 and 228). The head of the domestic goose in Grave 188 was severed at the neck and thrown into the grave (KÖRÖSI 2010,400). The animal skulls found in two burials (Graves 160 and 235) and the mandible from another one (Grave 16) symbolised the entire animal and can thus be interpreted as the remains of animal sacrifices. A cattle skull fragment with horncores was recovered from Grave 160: it seems likely that the skull was left in the animal hide and that the hide was then laid on the deceased. Burials with cattle skulls (SZŐKE 1979, 80-92; T. SZŐNYI-TOMKA 1985, 112) can be assigned to the later Avar period and are generally found in poorly furnished female graves or the burials of men laid to rest with their horse. The niche graves uncovered at Szeged-Makkoserdő sometimes contained up to three cattle skulls. Grave 235 yielded the skull of a 7-8 months old sheep. The single other burial containing a sheep skull known to me is Grave 191 of the Kiskőrös-Város alatt cemetery in the Danube-Tisza Interfluve, which yielded the skull of a 9 months old sheep (BÖKÖNYI 1955. 212). Grave 16, a male burial, yielded a pig mandible. It seems likely that this find too can be interpreted as an animal sacrifice, despite the fact that pig was rarely sacrificed in the Avar cemeteries of the Danube-Tisza Interfluve: aside from the Felgyő cemetery, pig sacrifices have only been documented in the cemeteries at Kiskőrös-Város alatt Grave 202 (BÖKÖNYI 12 This custom could be documented in the more recently investigated burial ground at Szatymaz-Makraszék School (Grave 184; BÉRES n.d., 44). Less reliable evidence comes from Budapest IX, Ferencváros-Old Horse Racing Track (Grave 1; NAGY 1998. 59-60. Taf. 47. 30), Szeged-Fehértó A (MADARAS 1995. 52-53. Pi 38. 29), Szeged-Fehértó B (MADARAS 1995. 150. Pl. 21. 7-11) and Szeged-Kundomb (SALAMON-CS. SEBESTYÉN 1995. 40, Pl. 39. 30).