Madaras László – Tálas László – Szabó László szerk.: Tisicum - A Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok Megyei Múzeumok Évkönyve 9. (1996)

László Madaras: The Question of the Early Avar Niche Grave Population's Continuity in the 8th Century (A korai avar fülkesíros népesség továbbélésének kérdése a VIII. században)

graves 100 and 106 painted pottery vessels typical of the Laté Avar Period were found."

18 The above mentioned data make it obvious that the niche graves were dug in the 8th century. Orosháza-Bónum téglagyár Five niche graves of this site were published by Irén Juhász. (Grave 78, 81, 82, 127, 128) According to the publication the dating of the niche graves, as well as the whole cemetery, to the end of the 7th century and to the 8th century seems to be obvious, especially if the preliminary reports of Régészeti Füzetek (Archeological Booklets) are taken intő consideration.

19 Székkutas-Kápolna dűlő 59 of the 534 graves excavated in the cemetery were niche graves. Katalin Nagy, the excavator, said in connection with the niche graves that the Avar cemetery excavated in Székkutas-Kápolna dűlő made it possible to arrive at the conclusion that niche grave burials, which had been considered to be characteristic of the 6th—7th centuries, reached far intő the 8th century, on the basis of the grave-goods found in the niche graves of Székkutas-Kápolna dűlő melonseed-shaped beads, big, circular earrings with bead pendant, pottery vessels decorated with spirál line, long knives, trapezoidal bronzé and irón buckles.

20 Katalin Nagy returns to this question once again in a Monograph on Hódmezővásárhely where she says in the summary of the settlement that they had been migrating from Solt-Palé to SzékkutasKápolna dűlő, which was 4—5 km away.since the end of the 8th century. (In keeping with finds typical of the Laté Avar Period, they were still practising niche grave burial.)

21 The above mentioned phenomenon is of importance, especially if we take intő consideration Katalin Nagy's assumption that there was a connection between the community of SzékkutasKápolna dűlő and the community burying in Solt-Palé Katona István Halom in the Early Avar Period. (In my opinion it is alsó very interesting that Avar and Gépid graves were found next to each other in the Solt-Palé Cemetery.!!) Katalin Nagy considers the people of Székkutas-Kápolna dűlő as the descendants of the early Avar people of Solt-Palé °' ?-• AH the above mentioned cemeteries with niche graves can be attached to a community which settled down after the arrival of the Tótipuszta-lgar Group. Therefore after the arrival of the new population there were still communities which kept the old form of burial but placed grave-goods typical of the period intő the niche graves, which were oriented in accordance with the orientation of the graves of the period. It is remarkable that there are no sets of cast belt-mounts among the gravegoods although almost all the female dress ornaments with griffin and tendril decoration can be found in the niche graves. Recent researches h?,ve solved this seemingly contradictory phenomenon too. A niche grave consisting of a set of belt-ornaments cast in bronzé was first found in Backa Sokolac. Péter Ritz, the excavator, concentrates on the accurate description of the burial custom in his work because this form of burial is very rare in that area. The above mentioned set of belt-ornaments became known to the public long afterwards, in the conference on niche grave burial in Szeged. But it had already been clear in his publication that a set of belt-ornaments cast in bronzé had been found near the dead: "lm Grabe lag ein Mann mittleren Alters in normaler ausgestreckter Lage auf dem Rücken, mit einem Gürtel, dessen Beschléige in Gulitechnik aus Bronzé hergestellt waren." The second niche grave with a set of belt-ornaments cast in bronzé was alsó found on the edge of the area where this burial custom had been practised. Detail of an Avar cemetery was found at the site of MRT 59/A in Öcsöd during the work of Archeological Topography. 33 graves were opened üp. Grave 32 was a niche grave. MR1 59/A Öcsöd, Grave 32 The data of the grave: D:85cm, L:230cm, W: 85cm by the legs of the horse, 58—60cm by the skull of the horse. The depth of the niche was 85—90cm by the skull of the humán and 207cm by the feet. The horse lay in the grave with its legs drawn under its trunk and with its skull pointing 18 Régészeti Füzetek Ser. I. No. 22. 1969. p. 45. 19 Juhász 1969. pp. 147—149.; Régészeti Füzetek Ser. I. No. 20. 1967. p. 58.; Régészeti Füzetek Ser. I. No. 21. 1968. pp. 43-^4. 20 B. Nagy 1984. p. 237. 21 B. Nagy 1984. p. 252. 22 B. Nagy 1984. p. 252.; Párducz Mihály: La Téne- és népvándorlás kori sírok Solt-Paléban. — Gráber aus der La Téneund Völkerwanderungszeit im Solt Pálé. Dolgozatok 11 (1935). pp. 159—174. 23 Ritz, Péter: Resultate der neueren Ausgrabungen awarischen Nekropolen in der nordöstlichen Bácka-Bestattunghgsart und Bestattungsritus auf der Nekropole bei Bácki Sokolac (Gemeinde Bácka Topola) Balkanoslavica 9 (1980). p. 81. 141