Istvánovits Eszter (szerk.): A nyíregyházi Jósa András Múzeum Évkönyve 56. (Nyíregyháza, 2014)
Régészet - Lőrinczy Gábor - Rácz Zsófia: Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg megye avar sírleletei II. Tiszavasvári-Kashalom-dűlő kora avar kori temetkezései
Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg megye avar sírleletei Avarian finds from Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg County II. Early Avarian graves from Tiszavasvári—Kashalom-dűlő Between 2004 and 2008, in the course of preventive excavation in the SE part of Tiszavasvári, at the area of Kashalom-dűlő, at the territory of the Wienerberger Brick Industrial Corporation six Early Avarian burials came to light. They were situated quite distantly, several hundred metres from each other. At the same time two 12-14 old children were situated next to each other, and the same was the case with a young adultus and a maturus men, and with two adulti women. On the basis of the burial rite and of the objects found in the graves we can make significant conclusions on the origin of the Avarian Age population settling here, on the time of occupation of the Upper Tisza Region and on the relationship system of the population. The most significant feature of the site is child grave 34. On the basis of the anthropological analysis it could be rather boy than girl. Considering its grave-goods the grave included both male and female attributes. This is the richest Early Avarian grave (parts of sheep and horse skeleton with gilded harness fittings, necklace with silver beads and two Byzantine solidi, belt and shoe fittings, grave obol made of golden sheet, spindle whorl, iron knife and a “gift parcel” at the end of the grave: pair of bracelets, string of beads, iron pincers) in the Upper Tisza Region. Burial form of single and sporadic graves (the use of so-called “burial territory”) is generally characteristic in Tiszántúl (territory east of river Tisza). It can be connected with the way of life of the population (large animal husbandry) and with the occupation of the new, still sporadically inhabited territories by small groups. The burial rite of these six graves - the more or less E-W orientation, burial of animal parts, pottery and food placed at the head - are characteristic (with different intensity) for the whole territory east of Tisza, mainly between rivers Körös-Tisza- Aranka. Pressed belt and harness fittings discovered in grave 34 find their best analogies also at the southern part of the Tiszántúl. In the case of the quadrilobate horness fittings it can be suggested that these decorations were made with one of the press moulds coming from the goldsmith’s tool hoard found in Felnac (Romania) in the Mure§ valley. Chronological situation of the burials was determined by three methods: typochronology, Byzantine coin finds of grave 34 (Heraclius and Heraclius Constantinus, 616-625 and 616-620/625) and radiocarbon analyses. Results are in accordance with each other. Judging from them the burials were made in the second quarter of the 7th century, most probably in the 630s or perhaps in the first half of the 640s. In the 6th century and in the beginning of the Avarian Age the Upper Tisza Region was very sporadically inhabited. The earliest settling connected to Avarian rule can be put just to the time of the burials in question and now can be partly evidenced by them. Groups settled in the area of Kashalom-dűlő could have moved to the Upper Tisza Region from the area south of the Körös rivers. The same can be said about other Avarian Age sites in the surroundings of Tiszavasvári (Tiszavasvári-Koldusdomb: cemetery part including 24 graves). 203
