Budapest Régiségei 14. (1945)

ÉRTESÍTŐ - Nagy Tibor: Avarkori temető és honfoglaláskori sírok Rákosról : előzetes jelentés 491-507

TIBOR NAGY AN AVAR CEMETERY AND GRAVES BELONGING TO THE PERIOD OF THE CONQUEST OF HUNGARY FROM .RÁKOS. In Summer 1943 the Archaeological Institute of Budapest excavated 38 graves in the Bastern precincts of Budapest, in Rákos. These graves came to light on the summit of a flat hill at the Rákos-field. Two of them belong to the Period of the Conquest of Hungary. The first grave was discovered by workmen, who found the skull and then did not disturb the grave any longer. This grave No. 1. measured 2 by 0"53 m, its depth being 1 -45 m. In the grave there was a wellpreserved male skeleton in extended posture, its head pointing towards W. (fig. 1.) The two arms lay close to the body, the metacarpus Was turned on the palm. The skeleton was (measured from the heels) 1 -69 m long,the breadth of the shoulders being 45 cm. The body was buried directly into the sandy soil. On the left of the skeleton was a 82"2 cm long iron sabre with one edge, a curved blade provided with a short straight guard. Its hilt is bent in the direction opposite to the blade. According to Hampel, Alterthümer. I. p. 199, the sabre of Demecser belongs to the first group of the sabres from the Period of the Conquest of Hungary; this is the nearest analogy in Hungary to our sabre, because of the narrowing of the ends of its guard and the triangular widening of its central part. But the straight, narrow guard of the Rákos specimen ending in a triangular shape at both ends stands nearer to the sabres belonging to the early Period of the House of Árpád. In our opinion this sabre dates from the end of the X

th century. But knowing the sabre originating from Srostki in the surroundings of Minusinsk (Pettich, Die Metallkunst der landnehmenden Ungarn. Pl. XXXI. p. 61.) we can assume, that besides the sabres having a curved guard ending in a knob, the type of the straight hilt narrowing at the ends had been already known in the first period of the Conquest of Hungary. Next to the left tibia some pieces of a clay vessel made of coarse material were discovered. The following graves came to light during regular excavations. Grave No. 2. was found 9 m. distant to the north. Its orientation and depth were the same as those of grave No. 1. In the oblong, rectangular grave measuring 1-90 by 0-57 m, there was a male skeleton in extended posture, with its head pointing towards W. The skeleton was partly disturbed. The skull was thrown over the right forearm-bone and the right pelvic bone was missing. Close to the body lay the metacarpus of the extended right arm over the hilt of an iron sword. The blade of this sword was laid obliquely under the legs. As to the burial rite, we could observe, that the body was laid directly into the soil. Next to the outer side of the left shin of the deceased, a coarse clay vessel was placed, partly covered by the sword blade. Under the heels were the two leg-bones of a domestic animal, its scapula was discovered in front of the toes. In the territory of Budapest, graves belonging to the Peried of the Conquest were up till now discovered single, or in couples. We may conclude that on Csepel Island alone there was a more crowded women's cemetery. The Rákos graves belonging to the Period of the Conquest constituted the middle part of the already mentioned smaller territory. During the further excavations among and 503