Kulcsár Mihály (szerk.): Alba Regia. Annales Musei Stephani Regis - Szent István Király Múzeum közleményei. C. sorozat 43. (Székesfehérvár, 2015)
Tanulmányok/közlemények - Régészet - Piroska Rácz: Avar period anthropological finds from Nagyvenyim-Munkácsy utca - Fűzfa utca
Alba Regia 43. (2015) PIROSKA RÁCZ AVAR PERIOD ANTHROPOLOGICAL FINDS FROM NAGYVENYIM-MUNKÁCSY UTCA - FŰZFA UTCA Introduction Nagyvenyim village is located in the southeastern part of Fejér county in Hungary. In 2013 during canalisation an Avar period cemetery fragment came to light at the site. The excavation was carried out by the workers of the Szent István Király Museum in Székesfehérvár leading by Frigyes Szűcsi. First at the Munkácsy street Grave 1 was found, then at the nearby Fűzfa street (which is perpendicular to Munkácsy street) further graves came to light. Unfotunately there were approximately 6-10 graves destroyed by the earthwork of the canalisation. The track of the canal at the Fűzfa street was 4 m wide and it crossed the cemetery 33 m long in the NW—SE direction, so the eastern and western edges of the cemetery could be defined. 22 graves were partly or completely dug up at the site in all and sections of further 7 graves were documented in the side-wall of the canal’s track. The number of the graves of the whole cemetery can be estimated about 100-200. In most cases the dead were W-NW — E-SE directed. 3 graves (Grave 8, 9 and 11) on the eastern edge of the cemetery were W—E, the Grave 18 was SW—NE oriented. 5 horse burial were uncovered. The dead were lying merely on their backs in extended position, but in Grave 18 the skeleton was crouched to the right. In many cases there were traces of wooden coffins or pole frameworks. The following grave goods were presented. In Grave 1 there was an iron belt set which could be dated to the early Avar period, in Grave 28 there was a bronze belt set which could be dated to the end of the 8th century. The only find that could be accounted as weapon is a spearhead from Grave 19. From Grave 22 bronze agraffe and two bronze rings; from 4 female burials (Grave 12, 16, 22 and 23) earrings came to light. The bronze band found in Grave 11 could probably be interpreted as part of an amulet capsule. From among tools spindle whorls (Grave 8, 9, 16 and 24) and iron knives (Grave 10, 14, 17, 19 and 20) turned up. In the horse burials harness and mountings were found. Animal bones and clay vessels were common grave findings. The cemetery was used during the whole Avar period. The early Avar burials took place in the eastern part of the unearthed cemetery fragment, the late Avar graves in the western side. Grave 1 is an early Avar burial. Grave 7, 8, 9, 11 could be dated to the 7th century (early or middle Avar period), and perhaps Grave 12 as well. Grave 10 and 18 which contained no finds and Grave 19 couldn’t be exactly dated. Most of the graves are 8th century burials as Grave 13, 14,15, 16,17, 20, 22, 23, 24, 27, 28 and perhaps Grave 21, 25 as well.1 Material and method Skeletal remains of 22 individuals from graves and one more isolate find came to light at the site. They were entered to the inventory of Szent István Király Museum (inventory numbers: 2014.1.1-2014.1.23.). Despite of the small sample and the bad preservation of finds their publication is necessary' as there is only one anthropological review from the Avar period on Mezőföld2 by this time, this is Wenger’s report about the larger sample from Előszállás-Bajcsihegy.3 Age-at-death of children and juveniles was estimated on the basis of dental development,4 the length of long bones5 and the ossification.6 Age-at-death of adults was estimated with the method of Nemeskéri-Harsányi—Acsádi,7 1 The archeological analysis see SZŰCSI 2015. 2 Mezőföld is the right western, Transdanubian part of the Great Hungarian Plain. 3 WENGER 1966 and WENGER 1967. 4 SCHOUR-MASSLER 1941,1153-1160. 5 STLOUKAL-HANÁKOVÁ 1978, 53-69. 6 FEREMBACH-SCHWIDETZKY-STLOUKAL 1979,1-32., SCHINZ et al. 1952. 81
