Garam Éva szerk.: Between East and West - History of the peoples living in hungarian lands (Guide to the Archaeological Exhibition of the Hungarian National Museum; Budapest, 2005)

HALL 8 AND CORRIDOR - The Avar period (567/568-804 A.D.) (Éva Garam)

102. Basket earrings from Grave 85 of the Kölke al B cemetery. Early 7th century 132 silver harness mounts, the sword and the silver drinking vessels were made in the ancestral tradition, while the patterns covering the mounts and the jewellery pieces were drawn from Byzantine art. A worn coin of Justinian I supports the dating of the grave to the first third of the 7th century. 3. LATE ANTIQUE CULTURE AND AVARBYZANTINE RELATIONS Aside from articles reflecting the Avars' eastem heritage, the archaeological finds from the period between the late 6th century and the late 7th century include many pieces indicating intensive contacts with Byzantium. Most of these finds came to light from the territory of former Pannónia, where Roman traditions lingered on. Christian groups with a late antique urban culture from Dalmatia were settled in Sopianae/Pécs and Castellum/Keszthely-Fenékpuszta in the wake of the Avars' campaigns. Byzantine articles can be found among almost all categories of finds, the only exceptions being weapons and horse harness. These Byzantine articles and their copies occur most frequently among jewellery articles. They include peacock and basket earrings (Fig. 102), earrings decorated with Greek monograms and Biblical scenes, finger-rings and disc brooches, as well as belt mounts and buckles made in the Byzantine style and decorated with Byzantine motifs. Pressed gold, silver and bronze belt mounts bore both simple geometric designs and more elaborate ones of acanthus leaves, fishes and other animals, while cast bronze buckles were adorned with openwork crosses, stylised dragons and plant patterns. A number of early Avar burials contained genuine Byzantine bronze vessels (jugs, buckets and bowls), amphorae and glass vessels. The bronze oil-lamp with a cross on its handle was probably used in the wooden palace of the khagan. The luxury items brought to light in the large early Avar cemeteries of Transdanubia