PELLET BELLS FROM THE AVAR AGE CEMETERIES OF KOMÁRNO

• Authors: Pomberger Beate Maria , Muhlhans Jorg , Saunderson Kayleigh , Gromer Karina
• Languages of publication: EN

Abstracts

EN

The pellet bells from 15 graves of the Avar cemeteries Komárno IV, VIII and IX were examined for their position in the graves, their types, their acoustic and psychoacoustic parameters and their metallurgical compositions within the framework of the research project ‘Metallic Idiophones between 800 BC and 800 AD in Central Europe’. Based on the results, assumptions could be made about their functions. Burials with pellet bells are only a minority among all the total amount of burials of all three cemeteries together and date from the middle Avar period II onwards. Only five graves belonged to children. These pellet bells can be interpreted as amulets and rather silent signal instruments, fixed on the clothes of the persons. The other ten graves belonged to horsemen and their horses. These pellet bells were part of the horse harness and served as jewellery, warning signal instrument and amulet. Most of the pellet bells were hammered of bronze sheet, and followed by those cast in bronze. But there are also pellet bells hammered of iron, copper and brass sheet. Their main frequencies could be determined between 1.5 – 4.5 kHz. Acoustic and psychoacoustic parameters can help to identify also similarities and differences between the objects and to get an idea of the actual sound. Especially loudness and level can also be used to draw conclusions about the use of the objects. A video with the original sounds of the pellet bells was created and loaded up on the internet platform Youtube: ‘Pellet Bells from the Avar Period in Komárno’.

Keywords

EN

SLOVAKIA; AVAR PERIOD; PELLET BELLS; MUSIC ARCHAEOLOGY; ACOUSTICS; PSYCHOACOUSTICS; METALLURGY; CLOTHING

• Publisher: Slovak Academy of Sciences, Archaeological Institute
• Journal: Slovenská archeológia (Slovak Archaeology)
• Year: 2021
• Volume: 69
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 99 – 131

Contributors

author

Pomberger Beate Maria

• Naturhistoririsches Museum Wien – Prähistorische Abteilung, Burgring 7, A – 1050 Wien, Austria

author

Muhlhans Jorg

author

Saunderson Kayleigh

author

Gromer Karina

Identifiers

DOI

https://doi.org/10.31577/slovarch.2021.69.4