Archaeologists have unearthed burials from the Hungarian Conquest on the outskirts of Akasztó, located in the Bács-Kiskun county, Hungary.
The site was first identified by volunteers from the Kecskemét Soldier József Museum’s community archaeology program, after which museum archaeologists conducted a full-scale excavation.
According to the Pulszky Society–Hungarian Museum Association, archaeologists have uncovered three warrior burials dating to the 920s–930s, a formative stage in the Hungarian conquest and settlement of the Carpathian Basin.
The first grave belonged to an elite warrior and contained a silver tarsoly plate – less than thirty of which have been found in the Carpathian Basin, making the discovery among the rarest of Conquest-era artefacts.
The warrior was buried with the head, legs, and hide of his horse, while the rest of the animal appears to have been consumed during funeral rites. Also within the grave was a gold ring set with blue glass stones, two decorative gold hair hoops, silver rings, and a horse harness with fittings made of gilded silver.
The second burial also contained high status grave goods, while the third contained a distinctive 10th-century sabre, a silver bracelet, and a horse harness decorated with coins.
Preliminary genetic studies indicate that those in the second and third burial were likely father and son, suggesting that the three individuals may have formed a close-knit warrior group.
Restoration of the artifacts is ongoing, and researchers expect the findings to shed new light on the social hierarchy, funerary customs, and elite warrior culture of early Hungarian history.
Header Image Credit : Kecskemét Soldier József Museum
Sources : Pulszky Society-Hungarian Museum Association
