A Veszprém Megyei Múzeumok Közleményei 24. (Veszprém, 2006)

S. Perémi Ágota: Újabb avar kori leletek Veszprém megyében II. A nemesvámos-Kapsa utcai avar kori sírok

As for the structure of the cemetery we have very few data. It seems that the graves were places very close to each other in a WE line. It is almost certain that the western and southern parts of the cemetery were excavated. Additional grave are to be expected north and east of the finds, which have been unearthed. THE ANALYSIS OF THE FINDS Out of the fifteen excavated graves, ten contained considerable supplementary findings. Graves 5., 9., 10., 15. and 16. did not have any. 1. Earrings In the cemetery of Nemesvámos, earrings were found in seven graves, which can be categorised into three types. Except from grave 6., in all the other cases only one earring was placed on either side of the skull. Five graves contained undecorated earrings (2., 6., 7., 11. and 12.) In all cases they were made of bronze wires having the diameter of 1.5 cm. These undecorated earrings have no significant value. It is questionable whether the person lying in grave 7., wore these bronze rings as earrings or as a part of the necklace. In graves 6. and 13. earrings of S-shaped ends were found. This type of earring, and usually wire jewels, were common mainly in Transdanubia, especially in the areas under Frank authority. Slavic immigrants coming from the territory of the Carolingian Empire might have brought them to the Carpathian Basin. Then they ended up in the northern territories and the areas east of the Danube from Trandanubia. Their appearance, based on the supplementary finds, dates back to the beginning of the ninth century, and this fashion can be traced all the way to the middle of the ninth century. Grave 14. contained an earring with a cone-shaped pendant, which was decorated with small granules made of bronze. The bottom of the cylindrical pendant is coneshaped, closed down with a semi-sphere. Its surface is decorated with triangle-shaped granules. The stiff earrings with pendants have different variations as far as their shapes and decorations are concerned. The type made of gold and having a cylindrical pendant appeared in the Avar culture in the seventh century, especially among women, but it could also be found in the first half of the eighth century as well. Similar cone-shaped earrings were found in six cemeteries. Most of these earrings were made of gilded bronze. These graves date back to the end of the seventh and the middle of the eighth century according to the supplementary finds. The earrings of Nemesvámos were buried presumably later, around the end of the eighth century. In four graves (6., 7., 11. and 14.), black, yellow, green or brown mush beads were found. In grave 7., greenish-white and yellow, watermelon-seed shaped beads were also found. In grave 6., black, cylindrical white striped and yellow, spotted beads were unearthed as well. The finds in the women's graves and the other supplementary findings (iron knives, rings, clips, needle-case, spindle buttons) prove that the women of the Nemesvámos community wore usually one, rarely two earrings, and mainly necklaces made from mush beads. Maybe women of higher ranks wore belts with iron straps, to which iron knives in wooden cases were attached together with some other objects. The needle-case and the spindle buttons refer to the fact that the women dealt with spinning, weaving and sewing similarly to women of other communities from the Avar period. As for the men's graves, the supplementary finds of the graves (iron knives, clips and rings) that the man of Nemesvámos wore earrings and textile clothing, which was fastened with a 3 cm wide belt. It was supplemented by a belt, which was held together with an iron buckle. On the belt, they had iron knives in wooden cases and they were attached to the belt, together with haversacks, with iron rings. Their clothing corresponds with the clothes worn by poor communities dealing with animal husbandry in the late Avar period. There is no reason draw conclusions from the sites of Kapsa Street, Nemesvámos. Based on the finds, we can say that the known burials date back to the end of the eighth and the beginning of the ninth century. The Avar community living here led the usual settled, peaceful lifestyle with animal husbandry, growing and utilizing crops. This lifestyle was dominant in the late Avar period. Their homes might have been in Balácapuszta nearby, where the remains of the Roman dwelling places made it possible for the Avars to live in. This pattern was very similar in other parts of Transdanubia. 79