Rare Saber Found in Tomb of Avar Warrior – History Blog

The grave of an Avars warrior found near Szekesfehervár in central Hungary contained a rare luxury saber with both blade and hilt intact. The tomb, which dates to around AD 670-690, had been vandalized in ancient times, but in a break from convention, only human remains were targeted, rather than valuable grave goods.

The buried warrior’s head, chest and abdomen had been dismembered during the Avars period, with only the arms and lower body bones still preserved in anatomical order. However, the “perpetrators” of the Avar-era riots were not interested in sabers, arrowheads that may have been carried in quivers, long knives that may have also been used as weapons, or men’s silver belt accessories, gilt braided ties, and glass bead earrings; they were only interested in these items. They left all of them in the tombs, some of them intact and unmoved.

A team of archaeologists from the Szent István Király Museum excavated the tomb at the end of August. Restoring the saber proved to be a difficult task as it had become fragile over the centuries and could easily be damaged in the attempt. Museum volunteers solved the problem by creating a custom wooden stand that lifted the saber in a clod of earth, keeping it safe and intact for transport to a conservation laboratory where it could be excavated under controlled conditions.

Once completely freed from the clod, the knife’s qualities come to the fore. It is long and gracefully curved, with traces of decoration on the blade. Its design and decoration make it one of the rarest examples of Avar swords ever found. Elaborately decorated gold and silver jewelry and belt ornaments attest to the wealth and status of the deceased.

The Pannonian Avars appeared in what is now Hungary in the mid-sixth century. By early July, they had settled in the Danube Basin and established the Avar Khanate from present-day Austria to the steppes of Eastern Europe. The tomb dates from the Middle Avar period, when the khanate was at its peak. The tomb and its contents attest to the extraordinary metalworking skills possessed by the elite of the Avars kingdom at the end of the seventh century.