Somogyi Múzeumok Közleményei 10. (1994)

Költő László: VII–VIII. századi avar temető Balatonkiliti határában

VII-VIII. SZÁZADI AVAR TEMETŐ BALATONKILITI HATÁRÁBAN 71 LASZLO KOLTO: 7TH-8TH CENTURY AVAR CEMETERY AT BALATONKILITI Resume During the construction of the junction of the 65 highway and the M7 motorway between Siófok and Balatonkiliti, a skeleton was found and it was reported to the Museum of Rippl-Rónai at Kaposvár. We started the rescue of finds on the very day of the report, on 21st Nov. 1983 and we continued it at the same time of the construction in very adverse weather conditions, then with the aim of defining the cemetery, we did systematic researches on the area which wasn't built in before the finishing of the earthworks. We managed to find and excavate genuinly the western side of the cemetery during the rescue. Altogether 43 graves were excavated and observed more or less genuinly. Obviously a part of the cemetery was destroyed during the construction of the former 65 highway. So we had the opportunity to observe about 30-40% of a cemetery consisting 100-150 graves originally. The funeral ceremony can said to be unified on the whole, in the cemetery. The general compassing direction is WSW-ENE, with little fluctuation, there are important differences in one or two cases, also there was a wrong compass once. In the observable cases the arms are extended next to the body, it was different only in three cases, where one of the arms was put on the pelvis. The straight-bottomed pits, as well as the deepened on both ends pits also can be found at the whole territory of the rescued area. It's typical to put an egg, poultry and - in many cases - sheep next to the bodies. Most of them must have been put into the graves skinned, in two cases pieces of horn were observable. If several eggs had been put into the graves, they had been used to surround the pelvis or the chest. Cattle is less. There are lots of bowls added to the graves. Bowls were found in nearly 50 % if the excavated graves (in 21 cases). Most of them were beside the legs. Rarely next to the head. Guns weren't found in the graves. Robbery is very hight, the most typical is the disturbing of the skull and the chest, the skull was found higher than the skeleton in many cases or entirely absent several times. The cemetery's very first graves must have been dug in the last period of the VII. century, and the last ones in the last period of the VIII. century.