The paper analyses components of early medieval burial equipment from grave 23 in Závada, district Topoľčany/SK after restoration that took place in 2017. The grave contained a type X sword, a pair of spurs, an incomplete set of sword belt fittings and a knife. Formerly accepted dating of the items found in grave 23, based on the concept of the Blatnica-Mikulčice Horizon, determined the chronology of the grave back to the first third of the 9th century. However, based on more recent finds about the chronology of an equestrian’s equipment, the chronology of the assemblage should be shifted rather to the period between the mid-9th century and the beginning of or even the mid-10th century.
The paper presents the analysis of a loop spur found during A. Loubal’s research in 1934 on Smolenice-Molpír hillfort. The item is known in the literature for a long time. However, the method of its publication prevented proper scientific evaluation of the artefact. The schematic drawing documentation prompted archaeologists to consider the spur an imitation. A more detailed analysis of the find shows that it is an uncommon item in Western Slovakia, namely an Early Carolingian original dated back to the turn of the 8th and 9th century or the beginning of the 9th century.
The paper presents a compilation of the current knowledge on the so called ‘Blatnica deposit’ and its individual components, extended by a series of the author ś own studies dedicated particularly to the gilded set of bronze fittings. The article is divided into two main parts: the first one presents a more focused perspective on the issue and provides all the necessary pieces of information about each part of the deposit together with respective chronological and stylistic findings. The second part, on the other hand, introduces a broader perspective, embedding the history of the deposit and studies on it in the methodological context proposed by Thomas S. Kuhn. Based on the Kuhnian model of science and the concept of paradigm the aouthor has analysed and then decomposed the so called Blatnica-Mikulčice Horizon concept that proved to be based, at best, on some misunderstandings or, at worst, on a hoax. Detailed typological and stylistic analyses of these items became a starting point for re-evaluation of their chronology and led him to draw a conclusion that the youngest components of the deposit cannot be older than the second third of the 9th century. Both the archive query and the analysis of archaeological sources seem to disprove arguments used to support the hypothesis that the ‘Blatnica collection’ served as equipment of a nobleman grave. Most probably it was only a loose collection of relics coming from different and so far unknown sources, later transferred in bulk to the museum. Therefore it seems reasonable to conclude that the source value of the ‘Blatnica relics’ has long been overestimated and in any case should no longer serve as a chronological benchmark for other archaeological materials.
The paper aims at refining the information about the composition of a ‘hoard’ found by amateur treasure hunters in Dolné Orešany, Trnava dist. in Slovakia. The ‘hoard’ contains 86 bronze decorations and, initially, it was attributed to the turn of the 8th and 9th centuries. Most items are late Avar decorations the origin and chronology of which is beyond any doubt. Several items, however, aroused suspicions. One of the fittings was classified as Carolingian and, unfortunately, was published as such. Further studies revealed that the ‘hoard’ included items that should be dated back to the period between 1300 and 1450 AD instead. This applies to the fitting initially described as Carolingian. The paper also questions the chronology of some well-known finds that have long been considered to be early medieval.
The paper presents some remarks on the chronology and spatial distribution of the Late Avar, Carolingian, and Great Moravian finds in selected areas of the Western Slavic Territories. The main subject of this paper is to analyse a particular item found in Haliczany, Chełm County in Poland. The fitting from Haliczany has already been subjected to typological and chronological analyses twice. In each case, however, it led the authors to entirelly different conclusions and since the space for its interpretation remains broad, it requires some clarification. The purpose of the study is to indicate possible origins of the fitting from Haliczany in terms of both typology and the route it travelled to finally reach the areas of today Eastern Poland. There are two competing explanations that are examined in this paper concerning either Carolingian or nomadic origins of the item in question. In the methodological dimension the paper provides arguments in favour of considering even single finds in a context broader than only stylistic speculations, including also cultural, historical, and when possible also ‘geopolitical’ determinants.
The paper offers a new perspective on a series of Great Moravian belt-ends of the Bojná type, dated to the second half of the 9th c. and especially to the end of the 9th c. New finds, mainly from the Bojná-Valy hill fort, allow us to add another variant to the type and to change our view on the distribution of these belt-ends. The distribution of the belt-ends reflects the borders of the Nitra province at the end of the 9th c., as well as its central and strategic places – where troops were probably constantly present. The unique find of the Bojná type belt-end from Zalavár in Hungary can therefore be given an interesting interpretation, historically related to the Great Moravian expansion during the Svatopluk period.
Based on a detailed analysis of the equipment and stratigraphy of the grave 1/94 on Nitra Castle, the present paper presents most recent information about the chronology of the settlement on the Castle Hill. Burying the dead on the hill started with the early medieval settlement in the area (8th/9th c.) and continued until the destruction of the wooden-soil chamber rampart in the second half of the 11th c. The grave 1/94 itself should be dated back to the second half of the 9th c. The density of equipped graves in the north-east part of the hill shows that the area was used primarily for funeral purposes. Graves were found in the area of the Plague Column and in the casemates of the south-eastern bastion. Probably, the area had served as a burial ground before the wooden-soil fortifications around the castle (rampart I) were built in the second half of the 9th c. Funerary customs changed only at the end of the 11th c. when the area by the St. Emmeram’s Church was transformed into a cemetery.
Great Moravian monuments have attracted special attention of both professionals and laypeoplefor a long time. In this paper we focus on only two of the Great Moravian sites studied at the Institute of Archaeology, Slovak Academy of Sciences (IA SAS ). One of the locations is Nitra, the former seat of Great Moravian dukes and Hungarian kings founded in 828. In the 9th century, the town was a large political and cultural centre. Relics from this period (such as remains of fortifications and sacral buildings) can be found on the castle hill and in the area of old military barracks situated in the foothills of Zobor. Unfortunately, some of the relics have been irreversibly lost due to the intense growth of the city and related construction activities. The second site is Bojná, with an agglomeration of five earth fortifications. The most significant of these is a twelve-hectare hillfort of Valy, where we have reconstructed or marked the most interesting historical constructions in situ. Here, visitors can see reconstructions of one of the gates, fragments of the impressive fortifications, and dwellings located inside the hillfort. In the village centre, they can also visit an archaeological museum. Each year, thanks to successful cooperation with local communities and representatives of municipalities, the sites and their history are revived during Nitra Days or the St. Cyril and Methodius Day
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