Arrabona - Múzeumi közlemények 41/1-2. (Győr, 2003)
Tanulmányok: - Tomka Péter: Az avar kori temetkezési szokások kutatásának újabb eredményei
ARRABONA41.2003. TANULMÁNYOK Péter Tomka: The Latest Results of the Research Focussing on the Funeral Customs in the Avar Age Double and Multiple Burials Starting from the point of view of making use of space, the author makes short comments on the density of cemeteries, their inner structures (i.e., spots of relations) and the aspect of making use of room within each grave. The latter point makes a shift to the question of double and multiple burials. After clarifying the terminology (Doppelgrab, Mehrfachbestattung, Nachbestattung, Neben-, Überbestattung, Massengrab) the author surveys the specialised literature of the simultaneous double and multiple burials (Totenfolge, i.e., ritual murder or accidental, simultaneous death) so that he could form his opinion concerning the Avar Age supporting the latter, so called "alternative" version. One can point out everywhere, in all epochs its natural occurrence of 1-2% (therefore it is hard to call a custom). Gleaning the examples from the Palaeolithic era to the modern times, from Central Asia to the West of Europe without the requirement of totality, he draws our attention to the data of the Eastern regions of the steppe. During the Avar Age the occurrence of 1-2% is the general, however there are considerable examples of exception. On the basis of formal analysis (shared coffins - separate coffins: List 1; opposing orientations: List 2) in many cases one of the dead in a double grave can be regarded a more important person than the other one (an adult as opposed to a child, a man as opposed to a woman) . The main burial generally can be found on more prestigious right hand side, but in a relatively well defined group it was excavated on the left hand side (List 3). This phenomenon can be explained on the basis of the idea known as "mundus inversus" whose appearance can perhaps be related to the new invading (onogur) group of people in the middle of the Avar Age. Touching upon the possibilities of the chronological evaluation of the double graves (the simultaneity of the male and female findings, List 4), the author - continuing his lecture delivered in Vienna in 1991 - scrutinises the chronological frequency of the phenomenon. He comes to the conclusion that at the end of the Avar Age (Sp A3) the number of instances suddenly increases in an outstanding way. In his view the reason for this can be found in the internal and external crisis of the late Avar society and their mental defects. In this way this phenomenon indicates the crisis which ultimately concluded in the fall of the Avar State. The Documentation Department contains examples known from the plain in Northwester Hungary, though they are unpublished. The illustrations are taken from this database. 47
