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)

towards the niche. The man was deposited intő the niche with his feet pointing towards the bottom of the niche. Grave-aoods of the horse skeleton

: Seven phalerae made from slightly hollow irón plate (10) by the skull of the horse, near the forelegs and the hindlegs. A big irón ring (15) on the left side of the horse skeleton. Two small irón surcingle buckles (11,12) under the horse skeleton. Irón bit with cheek-pieces (16) between the jars of the horse. Two irón discs, which were attached to each other, (13) amongst the bones of the horse. Oblong irón plates with two nails in each (14), amongst the bones of the horse. Big oblong irón buckle (17) on the left side of the horse near the stirrup. A pair of irón stirrups with straight foot-rest and circular loops (18), on either side of the horse skeleton. Grave-goods of the male skeleton

: Óval castbronze buckle, the belt-plate shield-shaped, decorated with tendrils arranged by the sides of the verticai axis (1), in the pelvis. Three horseshoeshaped belt-hole guards with three rivets in each (2), in the pelvis. Six quadrangular belt-mounts cast in bronzé, decorated with tendrils arranged around the central points of the mounts (3), in the pelvis, by the lower parts of the ribs, on the sacrum, beneath the pelvis. Large strap-end of cast bronzé, decorated with curling tendrils (4), between the left ilium and the left forearm. An irón axe (5) towards the "shoulder" near the wall of the pit Oblong irón buckle with a tongue (6) in the pelvis. One-edged, straight irón knife with traces of wood fibres of its sheath and haft (7), near the irón axe. Small irón rivets and bands (8) between the shins. Slow-wheeled, óval jar with narrow neck, slightly everted rim, painted black streaks on it (9), by the feet. Animál bones between the feet. It is evident that the grave was dug in the 8th century

24 and it may not be coincidental that a painted pottery vessél was found in this grave just as in graves 100 and 106 of the Orosháza Béke Mgtsz site. Moreover, the motifs of the yellow painted pottery vessels found in Székkutas Cemetery are similar to the motifs of the Nagyszentmiklós Treasure. The above mentioned descriptions raise the question how the niche graves with finds typical mainly of the Early Avar Period relate to the Tótipuszta-lgar Group and to the niche graves with 24 Madaras 1993B. pp. 181—224.; Madaras 1992. pp. 17525 Lőrinczy 1994. pp. 317—319. 26 Csallány 1939. p. 133.; Lőrinczy 1994. p. 316. grave-goods characterized by their griffin-tendril decoration which developed from the Tótipusztalgar Group and are characteristic of the Laté Avar Period. There are somé possibilities which must be taken intő consideration. On the one hand we should examine carefully the possibility of the arrival of a community together with the Tótipuszta-lgar Group from the East. This community could have settled in the Carpathian Basin around 670—680 and practised the niche grave burial custom independently of the people led by Kagan Baján, and settling down in the Early Avar Period. This possibility would be reasonable if certain conditions were fulfilled. One problem with the theory is that no typological antecedents have been found either on the Eastern European Steppe or in Asia. According to the results of the latest researches

25 there are two possibilities which must be taken intő consideration in connection with the antecedents of this burial custom. Firstly, examining the shape of the niche graves, we can draw a parallel between the niche graves found on the Hungárián Great Plain and the niche graves of the Sarmatians found in the Kubany Region. The shape of the latter is undoubtedly similar to the shape of the niche graves found on the Hungárián Great Plain. The only problem is that, since they are dated from 3rd—1st century BC, it is impossible to connect them-from an archeological chronological point of view- to the niche graves of the early Avar population which settled down in the Carpathian Basin in 567—568. The hiatus of more than 500 years makes it methodologically impossible to draw a parallel between them. We have to refuse this solution until new finds have been found to fill in the gap of more than five centuries. Secondly, the possibility of drawing a parallel between the catacombs of the Alans and the Avar niche graves has already been rejected by Dezső Csallány. Since then, nőne of the researchers have thought it worth reconsidering this theory.

26 On the other hand there are somé further problems we must face. Evén if the Eastern antecedents had been found- it is emphasized again that they have not been found yet- we would have to suppose that there had been a group of people in both popula196. 142