Tivadar Vida

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

The decline of the Roman rule caused significant political instability and led to the emergence of various ‘Barbarian’ powers. While the names of the involved groups appeared in written sources, it is largely unknown how these changes affected the daily lives of the people during the 5th century AD. Did late Roman traditions persist, did new customs emerge, and did both amalgamate into new cultural expressions? A prime area to investigate these population and settlement historical changes is the Carpathian Basin (Hungary). Particularly, we studied archaeological and anthropological evidence, as well as radiogenic and stable isotope ratios of strontium, carbon, and nitrogen of human remains from 96 graves at the cemetery of Mözs-Icsei dűlő. Integrated data analysis suggests that most members of the founder generation at the site exhibited burial practises of late Antique traditions, even though they were heterogeneous regarding their places of origin and dietary habits. Furthermore, the isotope data disclosed a nonlocal group of people with similar dietary habits. According to the archaeological evidence, they joined the community a few decades after the founder generation and followed mainly foreign traditions with artificial skull modification as their most prominent characteristic. Moreover, individuals with modified skulls and late Antique grave attributes attest to deliberate cultural amalgamation, whereas burials of largely different isotope ratios underline the recipient habitus of the community. The integration of archaeological and bioarchaeological information at the individual level discloses the complex coalescence of people and traditions during the 5th century.

After 568 AD the Avars settled in the Carpathian Basin and founded the Avar Qaganate that was an important power in Central Europe until the 9th century. Part of the Avar society was probably of Asian origin; however, the localisation of their homeland is hampered by the scarcity of historical and archaeological data. Here, we study mitogenome and Y chromosomal variability of twenty-six individuals, a number of them representing a well-characterised elite group buried at the centre of the Carpathian Basin more than a century after the Avar conquest. The studied group has maternal and paternal genetic affinities to several ancient and modern East-Central Asian populations. The majority of the mitochondrial DNA variability represents Asian haplogroups (C, D, F, M, R, Y and Z). The Y-STR variability of the analysed elite males belongs only to five lineages, three N-Tat with mostly Asian parallels and two Q haplotypes. The homogeneity of the Y chromosomes reveals paternal kinship as a cohesive force in the organisation of the Avar elite strata on both social and territorial level. Our results indicate that the Avar elite arrived in the Carpathian Basin as a group of families, and remained mostly endogamous for several generations after the conquest.

After 568 AD the Avars settled in the Carpathian Basin and founded the Avar Qaganate that was an important power in Central Europe until the 9 th century. Part of the Avar society was probably of Asian origin, however the localisation of their homeland is hampered by the scarcity of historical and archaeological data. Here, we study mitogenome and Y chromosomal STR variability of twenty-six individuals, a number of them representing a well-characterised elite group buried at the centre of the Carpathian Basin more than a century after the Avar conquest. The studied group has maternal and paternal genetic affinities to several ancient and modern East-Central Asian populations. The majority of the mitochondrial DNA variability represents Asian haplogroups (C, D, F, M, R, Y and Z). The Y-STR variability of the analysed elite males belongs only to five lineages, three N-Tat with mostly Asian parallels and two Q haplotypes. The homogeneity of the Y chromosomes reveals paternal kinship as a cohesive force in the organisation of the Avar elite strata on both social and territorial level. Our results indicate that the Avar elite arrived in the Carpathian Basin as a group of families, and remained mostly endogamous for several generations after the conquest.

From the first century AD, Europe has been interested by population movements, commonly known as Barbarian migrations. Among these processes, the one involving the Longobard culture interested a vast region, but its dynamics and demographic impact remains largely unknown. Here we report 87 new complete mitochondrial sequences coming from nine early-medieval cemeteries located along the area interested by the Longobard migration (Czech Republic, Hungary and Italy). From the same areas, we sampled necropoleis characterized by cultural markers associated with the Longobard culture (LC) and coeval burials where no such markers were found, or with a chronology slightly preceding the presumed arrival of the Longobards in that region (NLC). Population genetics analysis and demographic modeling highlighted a similarity between LC individuals, as reflected by the sharing of quite rare haplogroups and by the degree of genetic resemblance between Hungarian and Italian LC necropoleis estimated via a Bayesian approach, ABC. The demographic model receiving the strongest statistical support also postulates a contact between LC and NLC communities, thus indicating a complex dynamics of admixture in medieval Europe.

Despite centuries of research, much about the barbarian migrations that took place between the fourth and sixth centuries in Europe remains hotly debated. To better understand this key era that marks the dawn of modern European societies, we obtained ancient genomic DNA from 63 samples from two cemeteries (from Hungary and Northern Italy) that have been previously associated with the Longobards, a barbarian people that ruled large parts of Italy for over 200 years after invading from Pannonia in 568 CE. Our dense cemetery-based sampling revealed that each cemetery was primarily organized around one large pedigree, suggesting that biological relationships played an important role in these early medieval societies. Moreover, we identified genetic structure in each cemetery involving at least two groups with different ancestry that were very distinct in terms of their funerary customs. Finally, our data are consistent with the proposed long-distance migration from Pannonia to Northern Italy.

Objective: The prevalence of hyperostosis frontalis interna (HFI) was examined in different periods of the Carpathian Basin from 4900 BCE to 17th century AD. The study seeks to evaluate temporal changes in HFI and the possible impact of lifestyle on it. Materials: The studied material consisted of 4668 crania from Hungary and Serbia. Methods: The crania were analyzed employing macroscopic and endoscopic examination. Results: In historic periods, sex and age played a pivotal role in HFI development. Among predominantly pastoralist populations of the 5th-8th and 10th centuries, prevalence of HFI was considerably higher than in the medieval populations of the 9th-17th centuries. Conclusions: In addition to age and sex, other factors could be implicated in HFI development. The physiological effects of the pastoralist lifestyle and diet on insulin regulation could explain the increased risk of developing HFI in the 5th-8th and 10th-century populations. Significance: The study provides the first comprehensive dataset of HFI from different archaeological periods from the Carpathian Basin. It has implications for lifestyle and risk of HFI development in past populations. Limitations: The archaeological periods are not equally represented. Suggestions for further research: In order to better understand the etiology of HFI, lifestyle factors can be used to elucidate the risk of developing HFI in ancient populations.

After 568 AD the Avars settled in the Carpathian Basin and founded the Avar Qaganate that was an important power in Central Europe until the 9 th century. Part of the Avar society was probably of Asian origin, however the localisation of their homeland is hampered by the scarcity of historical and archaeological data. Here, we study mitogenome and Y chromosomal STR variability of twenty-six individuals, a number of them representing a well-characterised elite group buried at the centre of the Carpathian Basin more than a century after the Avar conquest. The studied group has maternal and paternal genetic affinities to several ancient and modern East-Central Asian populations. The majority of the mitochondrial DNA variability represents Asian haplogroups (C, D, F, M, R, Y and Z). The Y-STR variability of the analysed elite males belongs only to five lineages, three N-Tat with mostly Asian parallels and two Q haplotypes. The homogeneity of the Y chromosomes reveals paternal kinship as a cohesive force in the organisation of the Avar elite strata on both social and territorial level. Our results indicate that the Avar elite arrived in the Carpathian Basin as a group of families, and remained mostly endogamous for several generations after the conquest.

Seit 2003 ist Falko Daim Generaldirektor des Römisch-Germanischen Zentralmuseums in Mainz, doch ist dies nur eine Station seiner breit gefächerten wissenschaftlichen Laufbahn. Die zahlreichen Beiträge dieser Festschrift zu seinem 65. Geburtstag zeigen eindrucksvoll seine Betätigungsfelder und die hohe Wertschätzung, die seinen Forschungen, Projekten und Ideen international entgegengebracht wird. Die vier thematischen Abschnitte der Festschrift spiegeln im Großen und Ganzen die maßgeblichen Arbeitsbereiche des Jubilars wider. Dazu gehört natürlich die Zeitepoche von der Antike bis in das frühe Mittelalter mit seinem Fokus auf Reiternomaden und deren vielfältige Beziehungen mit den Reichen im Westen und im Mittelmeerraum, aber auch das Themenfeld der zeitlich anschließenden Mittelalterarchäologie ist von ihm geprägt worden. Die Entwicklung der naturwissenschaftlichen Archäologie sowie die Forschungen zum Byzantinischen Reich und seinen Nachbarkulturen sind untrennbar mit seinem Namen verknüpft und werden daher in eigenen Abschnitten gewürdigt. Die hier versammelten Beiträge repräsentieren damit auch, wie es dem Jubilar immer wieder gelungen ist, unterschiedliche Disziplinen und Menschen miteinander zu verbinden.

ABSTARCT Despite centuries of research, much about the barbarian migrations that took place between the fourth and sixth centuries in Europe remains hotly debated. To better understand this key era that marks the dawn of modern European societies, we obtained ancient genomic DNA from 63 samples from two cemeteries (from Hungary and Northern Italy) that have been previously associated with the Longobards , a barbarian people that ruled large parts of Italy for over 200 years after invading from Pannonia in 568 CE. Our dense cemetery-based sampling revealed that each cemetery was primarily organized around one large pedigree, suggesting that biological relationships played an important role in these early Medieval societies. Moreover, we identified genetic structure in each cemetery involving at least two groups with different ancestry that were very distinct in terms of their funerary customs. Finally, our data was consistent with the proposed long-distance migration from Pannonia to Northern Italy.

The assumed migration of the Langobards across an extensive geographic area as reconstructed from the literary sources, and their settlement in Late Antique Italy, has always fascinated scholars because it encapsulates and illustrates the essence of the Late Antique transformation – namely the encounter and interaction between the Late Antique Roman and the Barbarian world.1 In that sense, the history and the migration of the Langobards is particularly suitable for modelling this process and its study can lead to a better understanding in general of the migrations of the Migration Period. Also, the memory and legacy of the Langobard kingdom in Italy is one of the major threads in the colourful tapestry of European culture, as can be illustrated with several examples.2 Many issues connected to the Langobards presence in Pannonia can be re-assessed:3 These include the process of how Pannonia was occupied, the origins and identity of the different Langobard groups arriving to Pannonia, the interaction between the immigrants and the local Romanised and Germanic populations, as well as the Langobards relation to the provincial economy, the remnants of the Roman cultural landscape and the Late Antique settlement structure.4 The goal of the Szólád research project is to gain a better understanding of the political, economic, social and cultural changes, as well as ethnic integration in 6th century Pannonia.5 Who exactly were these people called Langobards that appeared in Pannonia?

Baking bells (or baking lids) were actually very simple ovens that were suitable for baking bread, meat and fish. This method of food preparation was practiced since prehistory in the Mediterranean world and we can find descriptions of baking bells in the Bible and in the works of the writers of antiquity. This individual mode of baking bread became especially widespread during late antiquity. In some regions, the use of baking bells survived either owing to a general stagnation (as in the Balkans or the Alpine lands), or to unusual living conditions (as in the Roman military camps of the Augustan period and in the medieval Ottoman-period border forts in Hungary). Their increasingly frequent use in late antiquity was a reflection of economic decline and the disappearance of urban bakeries. At the same time, the adoption of baking bells by the Barbarian peoples (such as the Avars and the ancient Hungarians) settling on the fringes of the Mediterranean world can be seen as a cultural advance and the adoption of local traditions. Baking bells were still used in the Carpathian Basin as late as the 19th century and they can be found in some areas of the Balkans even today.

In 2005 to 2007 45 skeletons of adults and subadults were excavated at the Lombard period cemetery at Szólád (6th century A.D.), Hungary. Embedded into the well-recorded historical context, the article presents the results obtained by an integrative investigation including anthropological, molecular genetic and isotopic (δ15N, δ13C, 87Sr/86Sr) analyses. Skeletal stress markers as well as traces of interpersonal violence were found to occur frequently. The mitochondrial DNA profiles revealed a heterogeneous spectrum of lineages that belong to the haplogroups H, U, J, HV, T2, I, and K, which are common in present-day Europe and in the Near East, while N1a and N1b are today quite rare. Evidence of possible direct maternal kinship was identified in only three pairs of individuals. According to enamel strontium isotope ratios, at least 31% of the individuals died at a location other than their birthplace and/or had moved during childhood. Based on the peculiar 87Sr/86Sr ratio distribution between females, males, and subadults in comparison to local vegetation and soil samples, we propose a three-phase model of group movement. An initial patrilocal group with narrower male but wider female Sr isotope distribution settled at Szólád, whilst the majority of subadults represented in the cemetery yielded a distinct Sr isotope signature. Owing to the virtual absence of Szólád-born adults in the cemetery, we may conclude that the settlement was abandoned after approx. one generation. Population heterogeneity is furthermore supported by the carbon and nitrogen isotope data. They indicate that a group of high-ranking men had access to larger shares of animal-derived food whilst a few individuals consumed remarkable amounts of millet. The inferred dynamics of the burial community are in agreement with hypotheses of a highly mobile lifestyle during the Migration Period and a short-term occupation of Pannonia by Lombard settlers as conveyed by written sources.

A Balaton crucible? On the relationship between “Lombard” immigrant groups and the Romanised population of the region of Lake Balaton at Szólád and Keszthely-Fenékpuszta in (pre)Longobard times, between archaeology and isotopes Keszthely-Fenékpuszta and Szólád are both located on Lake Balaton at a distance of 46 km from each other. Selected aspects of both sites, such as archaeological features, certain finds as well as scientific analyses are compared in this contribution. The focus is on the question of the relationship between the various cultures that occupied the surroundings of Lake Balaton in the 6thcentury AD: the immigrant Lombards on the one hand and the long-established remaining population on the other. The analysis of the grave structures clearly indicates that “the Lombards”were in no way as uniform a population as most distribution maps or cemetery typology would suggest. In addition, the grave forms show native-Roman inß uences and links to the earliest Keszthely-culture that are also evident among individual Þ nds or assemblages of grave goods at Szólád. Conversely, isolated “Lombard” Þ nds were also present in graves of the Keszthely-culture. A comparison of the results of strontium isotope analyses from Szólád and Keszthely was undertaken in order to examine the relationships between the two cultures. On the one hand there were clear differences, e.g. in the respective degrees of mobility, but on the other there were also indications of contact and a temporary coexistence between the Lombards and the people of the early Keszthely-culture. Keszthely-Fenékpuszta und Szólád liegen in 46 km Entfernung zueinander am Balaton. Im vorliegenden Beitrag werden ausgewählte Befunde, Funde sowie naturwissenschaftliche Analysen beider Fundorte miteinander verglichen. Im Mittelpunkt steht die Frage nach dem Verhältnis der im 6. Jahrhundert am Balaton belegten unterschiedlichen Kulturen, den eingewanderten Langobarden einerseits und der alteingesessenen verbliebenen Restbevölkerung andererseits. Die Analyse der Grabformen zeigt, dass „die Langobarden“ keineswegs eine solch einheitliche Bevölkerung waren, wie dies Verbreitungskarten und Gräberfeldtypen meist suggerieren. Darüber hinaus reflektieren sie einheimisch- romanische Einflüsse und Bezüge zur frühesten Keszthely-Kultur, die sich ebenso in einzelnen Funden bzw. Beigabenausstattungen in Szólád manifestieren. Andersherum findet sich in Gräbern der Keszthely-Kultur auch vereinzelt „langobardisches“ Fundgut. Zur Analyse möglicher Beziehungen untereinander wurden Strontium-Isotopendaten aus Szólád und Keszthely miteinander verglichen. Sie verdeutlichen Unterschiede in den Mobilitätsraten, und offenbaren Indizien für Kontakte sowie ein zeitweiliges Nebeneinander der Langobarden und der Träger der frühen Keszthely-Kultur.

Our study contains the results of the archaeometrical examination of six archaeological sites from the 5-6th century AD located in the territory of the former province Pannonia (three cemeteries: Kajdacs, Szólád, Tamási; three settlements: Balatonlelle, Ordacsehi, Zamárdi). During our work we mainly used ceramic petrographic analysis, although in some cases (samples from Group 9) we had a chance to carry out cathodoluminescence microscopy (CL) and on one sample (151.1/48.13) electron probe microanalysis (SEM-EDX) as well. The main aim of this study is to give preliminary information on the pottery technology of this period, focusing on different types of tempering techniques. During the examination 11 groups were defined based on tempering techniques. The most common technique was tempering with limestone fragments (Group 4), which was usually used for /various types of pots. The limestone, which was used for these ceramics probably arises from the vicinity of the examined archaeological sites, as well as sand (Group 3), sandstone (Group 5) and quartzite (Group 10) tempering material. Furthermore, there are certain tempering raw materials that may not originate from the direct vicinity of the archaeological sites, such as tempering with marble (Group 8), basalt (Group 6), andesite (Group 7) and metamorphic rock fragments. These raw materials might be defined as import products. Varied types of tempering were observed at each site, and almost every petrographic group contains ceramics from three or more archaeological sites. The different types of tempering are not characteristic of the type of the site i.e. of settlements or cemeteries.

As bas-reliefs of a similar standard are not known in the early Bizantine world, the styles of the figures and the ornamental elements of the jug are compared to the relief works of other fields of art (silver toreutics, ebony carvings, plastic relief, mosaics), since they met the same ideological and aesthetic demands, which necessarily led to the same stylistic solutions (figure-carpets-style) . The scenes are characteristically divided into isolated zones without the existence of a narrative contact. The isolated scenes represent combats between people and animals (venation) in their pure dramatic appearances. This suspense is eased by the agility that can be read from the posture of the hunters. Yet they are hunting scenes and as antithetic combats they bear isolated effects on the spectators. The representation of the people and the animal is true to nature, they do not cover each other and thus they have strong contours and a more emphatic plasticity. Contrary to the individual scenes, the composition of the friezes on the Budakalász jug does not give a dynamic impression since the scale relations are diverse in the individual scenes. A definite aspiration to a formal abstraction can be felt in the composition of the friezes and the order of the scenes. The message is cyclically repeated in the cyclical iteration of the endless series of pictures. The hunter is not an everyday person: he is a hero (heros) who triumphs (virtus) over the difficulties of life.

The Roman Age settlement organisation of Pannonia had an impact on the settlement of the barbarian peoples of the Migration Period until the close of the seventh century. During the first decades of this period, the surviving provincial Roman population was assimilated by successive waves of barbarian peoples, which arrived in ever-growing numbers between AD 380 and 433/34. In the Hun Period (AD 433/34-455) the burials of the Hun military elite have been found in great numbers in the southerly areas of Pannonia most often in the vicinity of former Roman towns and forts. In the Germanic period (AD 455-568) the territory south of the Danube was occupied by the Suevi, while the settlement territory of the Ostrogoths between Lake Balaton and Syrmia has been reconstructed from the archaeological record. Archaeological finds indicating the presence of the Langobards have been brought to light along Roman roads and from the territory of the one-time castra, towns, villas, and vici, and also their burial grounds lie near them. The Roman road network and the locations of towns and forts influenced early Avar settlement patterns in the late sixth and early seventh centuries as well. The presence of burial grounds with several thousand graves corresponding to the German and Roman population in the area of the one-time inner forts is quite striking.

On the south side of Balaton near Szolad 24 graves of the Langobard period were excavated. Within them were 18 men, five male children/youths as well as five women and a girl. The finds date to the time between AD 526 and 568. The circular ditches and square grave enclosures are quite unusual. With reference to the grave construction, ledges in the side walls of the graves were identified, which served in part to support wooden beamed grave coverings. In male grave 13, which had been disturbed, a horse was deposited on the wooden beams. An excursus presents Langobard-period settlement finds, discovered at three find spots, which are unique for this period in Hungary, up until now.

A jelen OTKA program célja a budakalászi avar kori temető leletanyagának publikációra történő előkészítése, a leletanyag rajzoltatása, a dokumentáció befejezése volt. Az eredetileg 2001-2004 futamidejű program halasztás miatt 2005-ben zárult. A kutatási ciklusban sikerült lerajzoltatni a temető 1200-1600. sírjainak leleteit és elkészültek a sírrajzok, valamint a temető digitális térképe is. A pályázat alatt a budakalászi avar kori temető 740. sírjából előkerült kora bizánci korsó alakos frízeiről kiterített rajz, valamint művészi igényű, színes, digitális felvételek készültek publikáció céljából. Anyagi okokból a természettudományos vizsgálatokra csak korlátozott mértékben került sor. | The aim of the present OTKA (National Scientific Research Fund) program is the preparations for publishing the Budakalász cemetery of Avarian Age. The program originally planned to 2001-2004, was closed only in 2005 because of suspension. In the research period the finds of graves 1200-1600 were drawn, the drawings of graves and the digital map of the cemetery was completed. An outspead drawing was made on the friezes of the Byzantine jug found in grave 740. Coloured digital photographs of artistic value were made for the publication. For financial reasons, scientific examinations were made only in a limited number.