„The unknown Acquaintance”. New results of the research of the Avar cemetery at Csákberény-Orondpuszta: wooden grave constructions

Szücsi Frigyes / Frigyes Szücsi

Hadak útján. A népvándorláskor kutatóinak XXIX. konferenciája. Budapest, 2019. november 15–16. / 29th Conference of scholars on the Migration Period. November 15–16, 2019, Budapest

MŐK Kiadványok 4.1 (2022) 369–398

DOI 10.55722/Arpad.Kiad.2021.4.1_19

A tanulmány a csákberény­orondpusztai avar kori temetőben 2019­ben folytatott tervásatáson nagy számban megfigyelt sírépítményeket mutatja be. A feltárt sírok kivétel nélkül a 7. század közepétől a 8. század elejéig, tehát az ún. közép avar korra keltezhetők. A sírépítmények négy fő típusba és további altí­pusokba, illetve változatokba sorolhatók. Három típusnál a tervásatás eredményei alapján – a párhuzamok figyelembevételével – lehetséges rekonstrukciókra is lehetőség nyílt.

Kulcsszavak: Csákberény­Orondpuszta, avar kor, cölöpös sír, deszkafedeles sír, sírkamra

The planned excavation of the Avar Age cemetery in Csákberény-Orondpuszta continued about 80 years after the excavations of 1936–39 were completed. The 53 graves uncovered in 2019 could be dated to the Middle Avar Age (between the middle of the 7th century and the early 8th century). Traces of wooden constructions were observed in almost two thirds of graves (62 %, 33 graves). In the 1930s, not enough attention was paid to observing traces of timber constructions, as only in 8 of the 452 uncovered graves were mentioned postpipes. The wooden constructions documented in 2019 could be classified into 4 main types: 1. Graves with wooden piles (timber cover underpinned with piles): in 16 graves; 2. Timber cover without piles: in 14 graves; 3. Wooden burial chamber without piles: in 1 grave; 4. Two horizontal beams perpendicular to the longer sides, vertical piles in the corners and rafters (?): in 1 grave. Within type 1 three subtypes (a–c) were separated depending on the number of piles (postholes) along the longer sides of the graves (1-1, 2-2 or 3-3). Within each subtype, variants were distinguished by the absence (variant v0) or the existence (all the way on the sides of the grave: variant v1; discontinuously: variant v2) of horizontal channels at the level of the piles’ top. In the case of type 2, no piles (postholes) were found, but horizontal channels could be observed all the way on the sides (variant v1) or discontinuously (variant v2). In the only grave of type 3, we could observe a timber burial chamber without postpipe. There was at least 110 cm high. Thanks to our observations and the Avar Age analogies, the wooden grave constructions of type 1–3 can be reconstructed. However, in the case of the special type 4 – without exact analogies – the reconstruction was unsuccessful.

Keywords: Csákberény-Orondpuszta, Avar Age, grave with plie, grave with timber cover, burial chamber