Arrabona - Múzeumi közlemények 44/1. Ünnepi köte a 65 éves Tomka Péter tiszteletére (Győr, 2006)

Péter Straub: Bemerkungen zum germanischen Grab von Répcelak

ARRABONA 2006.44/ 1. TANULMÁNYOK NOTES ON THE GERMAN GRAVE OF RÉPCELAK In January 1956 the Hungarian National Museum procured the grave goods of a rich German grave unearthed in the northern part of Répcelak. The most spectacular item of the grave goods is a pair of golden coated fibulas of niello ornaments weighing totally 600 grams. However, the detailed publication of the grave did not occur until 2001 (Kiss 2001a). Departing from the earlier dating and based on a golden necklace with Christograph the author, Attila Kiss described the grave as belonging to an Eastern Goth noble woman. However, the localisation of the Eastern Goth population area to the north of the Balaton Lake is equally as doubtful (Tóth 1995, 142); Kiss-Fazekas 2002, Abb.l) as the conclusions concerning the religion of the owners of the finds showing Christian symbols from the late Roman and the migration period (Tóth 1991, 98; Tóth 1999; Tomka 2002, 216-217). More importantly, according to the finder's report the pair of fibulas lay at the legs, which is unique among the known Eastern Goth graves of Pannónia while the pin (Picture 1) and the pairs of fibulas (Picture 2) lay on the shoulder or at least on the chest originally having been fixed to the loose peplos-like over-garment complying with the classical dressing habits of the Eastern Goths. The translocation of the fibulas to the pelvis can momentarily be justified only in case of the Sveb, Herul and Rugi graves which appeared in the Transdanubian region only after the leaving of the Goths in 471. This development - during which the jewels slowly lost their original function of fixing and closing the pieces of garment - took place simultaneously also in the Merovingian world (Bierbrauer 1971, 148; Tejral 1976, 36-37; Strauß 1992, 18; Koch 1998, 520). The concave design of the lower part of the fibulas of Répcelak which is an unusual feature in the Goth material of Pannónia, the lack of the ornamental buckle well known from the graves of Zsibót and Kapolcs as well as the closeness of the site to the post-Goth and pre-Longobard cemeteries all support the earlier dating of the grave back to the period of the leaving of the Goths as it has recently been suggested by several contributions (B. Tóth 2002, 122; Müller 2003, 293). Péter Straub 454