Folia archeologica 1-2.

Szabó Kálmán: A kecskemét - ballószögi avar sír

SZABÓ: AN AVAR GRAVE FROM KECSKEMÉT—BALLÓSZÖG 187 1 Dolg. 1937. Bálint Alajos, AVAR SÍROK BATIDÁN. X. tábla. 1—4. A lelet korát az igazi és az ezzel összefüggő ozorai lelettel való rokonság adja meg. Az utóbbi leletben talált Constantinos Pogonatos érem, (668—671) ennek a csoportnak a megjelenését a VII. sz. utolsó évtizedeire határozza meg. Erre a korra vall a fogazásos díszű, szalagtestü állati mintáknak a megjelenése, továbbá az a körülmény, hogy az arany és ezüst vereteket az olcsóbb anyagra préselték rá. A négyszögletes ezüstveretek utánzatai egy jobb kivitelnek, ahol a belső díszt préselt aranylemez alkotta.

1 Rokonleletek a griffes-indás környezetben kerültek elő. Ez is arra mutat, hogy a leletek korát az avar birodalom középső szakára kell tennünk. Szabó Kálmán 1. kép. Ballószög. — Fig. 1. Ballószög. Kecskemét. AN AVAR GRAVE FROM KECSKEMÉT-BALLÓSZÖG. On the outer suburbs of Kecskemét at Ballószög the workmen found several human skeletons in the course of digging in the vineyard of the teacher Gyula Karácsonyi. In one of the graves occurred a sabre, of which the teacher informed the Municipal Museum of Kecskemét and on 8

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h February 1936 I went to examine the graves. With the digging the Avar grave, which seemed to have been that of a distinguished person, had been so much disturbed that a systematic excavation was out of the question. On the spot, where the fragments and bones of the grave lay, the soil was sifted in an area of 7—10 sq. m. and thus the scattered objects were collected. 1. Iron sabre with silver mounts 87 cm. long (PI. I, figs. 1—la). Single-edged along the whole blade and curving from about the last third part of it. The blade is 2-7 cm. in breadth below the hilt, which is 11 cm. long. The sword-hilt terminates at the top in an oval silver plate, which is fastened to the wooden cover of the hilt with three bronze rivets, each of which is 3-3 cm. long. The wooden cover had been fastened at the bottom of the hilt by a silver ribbon 1-5 cm. broad. These undoubtedly prove that the sword-hilt was rather flat and oval in section. The wooden cover had been attached to the hilt in addition to the silver mounts with at least two iron rivets. The sabre had been suspended on the belt by means of two loops. These loops for suspension had been fastened to the swordsheath by thin silver strips. The loops consist of three plates attached together by rivets, of which the lower one is iron, the middle bronze and the upper silver. The strap was fastened between the iron and bronze plates. Both loops remained only in fragments. 2. The strap-ends and belt-mounts made of silver plate shown on Pl. I, figs. 20, 21, 22, 24 and 25 must be considered as belonging to the belt. They were made of plain, undecorated plate. Grooved ribbon fastened the plates together. The strap had been attached into the strap-ends by means of rivets. According to the length of the rivets in mount no. 25 the strap had been 2 mm. thick. The bronze buckle no. 26 with iron tongue served for clasping the belt. 3. Probably the silver mounts with lead setting (Pl. I, figs. 16—19, 23) belonged also to the equipment of the belt, though their rivets were almost 1 cm. long. The mounts figs. 16—19 had been pressed on the same model. The head of rivets marked at each corner of the mounts have only a decorative purpose. Mount fig. 23 is similar to the former as regards material as well as execution. It is enclosed by a border imitating grooves. The inner rectangular space is decorated with an indistinct interlaced ribbon pattern. 4. Two gold mounts (Pl. 1, figs. 13—14) decorated in the so-called «style II» of Germanic art with incised lines (Zahnschnitt). Their lines, either in consequence of the material or of the hammering, are very indistinct. The mounts were so made that under the gold plate a bronze one had been placed and the pattern had been, pressed on them together. Traces of the clasp welded to the bronze plate remained. Such mounts with clasps are usually found underneath the shoulder, therefore we regard them as clasps and ornaments for hair-plaits. 5. Gold ear-ring (Pl. I, fig. 15). The hoop is made of twisted rectangular gold wire. Its pendant is decorated with small gold pellets and grooved wire welded to it.