Archaeologists have unearthed an ancient warrior's burial site from more than 1,300 years ago, complete with the remains of his horse, a full complement of armor and a cache of weapons.
The isolated grave was discovered this past November on the outskirts of Ebes, a village in eastern Hungary.
The site is thought to date to the first half of the seventh century, during the Avar period (late sixth century to the early ninth century). The Avars were originally a nomadic people of Asian origin who eventually settled in parts of central and southeastern Europe, including what is now Hungary, and created a multiethnic empire that lasted for more than 200 years.
Researchers found the Avar warrior resting in a relatively shallow grave with his horse buried on top of him, Tamara Hága, an archaeologist with the Déri Museum in the nearby city of Debrecen, who is investigating the remains, told Newsweek.
Rice-grown meat will offer "world of possibilities"
Amazon rainforest may be close to total collapse, study warns
Ancient animal lovers found buried alongside their dogs
As in Ebes, the Derecske burial site contained a warrior and his horse. The grave was uncovered during rescue excavations connected to the construction of a motorway, and Hága was among the archaeologists who participated.
This is the first time that a complete and undisturbed set of lamellar armor from the Avar period had been excavated by archaeologists, which enabled them to subsequently create a highly accurate reconstruction.
"Since these armor pieces were made to measure and were not uniform...as more complete or nearly complete armors are found intact, and the more thoroughly they are restored and documented, the more complete the picture we get of not only this type of object but also of the Avar heavy cavalry," Hága said.
"This is why the burial found at Ebes is of great importance. It is the second lamellar armor that can probably be described as complete and was found in relatively intact condition during an archaeological excavation," she said.
Apart from the horse bones, the entire contents of the Ebes burial have been lifted out of the grave site in one block. These remains are now being investigated and documented in a restoration workshop.
"This will allow the structure of the armor to be interpreted and reconstructed and will provide additional data on lamellar armor of the Avar period," Hága said. "At the same time, the excavation of the artifacts in the workshop allows the detection and study of organic remains. That would not have been possible in the field.
"The excavation of the burial in the workshop is still ongoing, so we do not yet know what other finds are under the armor," she said.
