Late Roman Archaeology, Great Migration Period

The investigations of Lbische hillfort in 2003 (trench VIII).
The article introduces archeological features from Lbische hillfort (Stavropol district of Samara region),
trench VIII, 2003, for scientific use. During the excavation, undertaken under the guidance of Galina Matveeva, two
hearth-pits of dwellings, on-ground building and interment without grave goods were found. The complex of finds
from the hillfort refers to two periods: the I millennium BC (Gorodets culture) and the second quarter of the I millennium
AD (Lbische type).

From Samarkand to Göta river- actual archeological finds from roman iron age to early Viking age. Three important finds spots along the river. “Grönån-Wooden manufacturing center” - wooden object dated from roman iron age to Germanic iron age (“pre Viking”). Key words: Tools made of wood, objects from carriages, charts as well as boats and ships, wooden wheel, wooden bowls, ladder, basket, oarlock, oar, tools for making ropes. Next findspot is the “Brakteats of gold from Trollhättan”. Väner region brakteats and south west Norway. Göta river and magnificent falls of Trollhättan, similarity to Sorte mull (Black soil) Bornholm Denmark, brakteat and wetlands, two brakteats has runic inscription and should be read in a reversed manner, the text is: “ I the eril is named Märthief, I wrote a powerful spell”. Key words: gold, runic inscriptions, wetland, eril, earl, Oden. Next subject is “Early Viking age trading centers along the Göta river”, there are locality names that indicate early trading as “kiöping” (Grönkiöping and Kiöping). Key words: finds of weights, coins and lumps of silver, coins from the Arabic word (both from north Africa and Samarkand). Dated between around 750-869 A.D. Archaeological excavation, long-oval pit-houses dated to 660-780 A.D. Photos and figures, all text is in Swedish

An Early Migration Period warrior grave from
the vicinity of Tiszavasvári

There is a multi-layered archaeological site northwest of Tiszavasvári. Its dimensions are
not clear yet: in the official records, it was registered with different names and identification numbers,
with varied extensions. Its most known part is the milk farm of the Dancs family (Dancs tehenészet),
where, during the enlargement of the farm in 2010 and 2014, the Jósa András Museum
conducted rescue excavations. In the course of the digs, we identified 159 archaeological features,
only 106 of which (for several reasons) could have been excavated. Most part of the features belong
to the Late Imperial and Hun Age settlement phenomena, beside them we uncovered two inhumation
burials. One of them, a dead buried in contracted position, was dated to Prehistoric Age. The other
one, discussed in the present article, was a warrior grave from the Early Migration Period.
This grave had a W‒E orientation. Its stain was light brown mixed with white grains
differing from its environment only with a lighter shade. The grave pit had a rectangular shape with
rounded corners, its length was 225 cm and the width was 90 cm. The skeleton was very poorly
preserved and lay resupinate 60 cm deep measured from the old ground. Only the bones of the right
Egy kora népvándorlás kori fegyveres sír Tiszavasvári határából
153
arm and the leg bones remained relatively well preserved. Arms were laid along the body, legs laid
parallel, also in rendered position. The skeleton had feminine character. Judging from the calvaria
and teeth the buried person could die around the age of 23–40.
We could trace the dark grey stripe referring to the trait of the coffin board on the right
side of the skeleton up to the region of the pelvis. On the interior side of the right arm, a so-called
Langsax lay, its length slightly exceeding 50 cm. Out of the scabbard, the chape and large pieces
of wood were preserved by the corrosion of the blade. Dark grey iron oxidation followed on the
blade could belong to the stiffening part of the scabbard. At the grip, we uncovered a buckle prong
decorated with animal head (the frame was missing) and an iron nail. In the region of pelvis, we
found a small oval iron buckle and a hand-thrown pottery sherd.
According to our present knowledge, the burial was a single one. Judging from the gravegoods,
it can be dated to the second half of the 5th century. Probably, this is one of the early, Upper
Tisza Region representatives of the Meroving Age Germanic warrior graves. As a work hypothesis,
we suggest that it should be examined in the context of the Hun Age settlement features that are
close to the grave in time and space, assuming continuity(?).

The Vandals is a Germanic tribe that not only migrated across Europe and the Roman empire during the first half of the first millenium AD but also played a part in Early 20th century geopolitics - besides become a word of shame. This paper follows all three threads of the amazing and turbulent destiny of this Germanic tribe, and examines the archaeological evidence.

Experts have recently reported false bronze nummi with large reverse monograms of late Roman Imperial and Ostrogothic leaders. The experts include Alain Gennari and other members of Lamoneta.it, but not the present author. He is simply presenting this supplement to his paper “The Ricimer Monogram with Its Mysterious Additional A” and informing readers about the likelihood of spurious pieces thought to be of modern Serbian origin. His previous paper presented two Ricimer pieces, and here he presents two pieces with monograms interpreted as Eraric’s by some sources, but as mere fantasies by others. Some disagreement regarding authenticity appears to remain among some  experts and dealers.

Slovania sú indoeurópske etnické spoločenstvo, ktorého dejiny sú v centre veľkého záujmu európskej historiografie, ale aj rôznych laikov. Predovšetkým ich „nečakané“ objavenie sa na sklonku obdobia sťahovania národov vyvoláva množstvo otázok. Tie sa nastoľujú najmä pri objasňovaní ich pôvodu.

A. Bitner-Wróblewska, A. Rzeszotarska-Nowakiewicz 2016. "Baltic communities present between 500 and 700 AD in today's Poland", in P. Urbańczyk, M. Trzeciecki (eds), "The Past Societies. Polish lands from the first evidence of human presence to the early middle ages", vol. 5: 500 AD - 1000 AD, 75-121. Warsaw, The Institute of Archaeology and Ethnology, Polish Academy of Sciences.

В сборнике публикуются материалы международной научной конференции «Ар-хеология Балтийского региона: новые открытия и исследования», проведенной Ин-ститутом Археологии РАН 17–19 ноября 2010 г. в г. Калининграде. В статьях сборни-ка представлена широкая картина археологии Балтийского региона, охватывающая ряд ярких памятников от восточного побережья Британии до Северной Руси. Значительную часть книги составляют работы, посвященные археологии Восточ-ной и Юго-Восточной Прибалтики, они дают представление о месте этих земель в об-щем культурном пространстве Европы в различные периоды – от каменного века до средневековья. Еще одна важная тема сборника – история раннесредневековых про-тогородских и городских центров, так или иначе связанных общей сетью экономи-ческих и политических отношений, в Балтийском регионе. Эти памятники изучены не только с учетом современного уровня развития археологии, но и с привлечением данных других дисциплин, в частности палеоантропологии, палеозоологии, палеоге-ографии и палинологии, что позволяет уточнить историческую картину, предложен-ную для циркумбалтийского региона нашими предшественниками. Издание предназначено для археологов, историков, специалистов естественнона-учных дисциплин и всех, кто интересуется историей Балтийского региона.

This is the main part of my work. It is the highlight of my studies. I explained how the upper structure of Roman society, the Church, survived and made deal with barbarians, how all old science and culture went down and under a new order. Well, absolutely amazing time. There are that Catalaunian Fields and it is the highlight of the highlights. I, as a specialist in nets and military arts, write the consequences of that great battle, in every aspect. I put to cover some heraldic point of view, and it is quite telling: when one of the ladies of my neighbors saw the cover she said: "Bellicose picture, I am sure my son shall love this book."

Brooches from the Roman and Early Migration Period
from the vicinity of Șimand
New data for the repertory of brooches from the Roman and
Early Migration Period in the Lower Mureș Valley
(Summary)
In 2014 several bronze brooches were discovered in the vicinity of Șimand (Hungarian: Simánd-
Vásárhelypuszta) and donated to the Museum of Arad. The set is composed of knee brooches,
brooches with returned foot made of a single (Almgren 158. and 166. types) and of two metal pieces,
respectively a Vyškov type brooch (Pl. 1; Pl. 2/1.). The diverse types of Roman age brooches fit in
nicely into the brooch repertory of the Mureș–Tisa–Criș region, reflecting an intensive connection
between the settlements of the area.
Based on the latest studies discussing the origins and dispersion of the Almgren 158. type
brooches in the Carpathian basin, some scholars recently have been connecting this phenomenon to
the migration wave of the Prezworsk culture towards south which took place after the Marcomannic
Wars. Accordingly, the appearance of this type in the Sarmatian Barbaricum is explained by the intense
commercial and cultural relations between the Przeworsk culture and the Sarmatians after the end
of the second century AD. Accepting this theory, due to the large distance from the source point, as
well as the presumed technological import after the acceptance of the style among the Sarmatians,
respectively the chronological discrepancy derived from the time passed between the production, the
use and the discard of the objects, the earliest possible dating of such artefact in the region discussed
can only be from the beginning of the 3rd century AD.
The latest analyses regarding the chronology and dispersion of the Almgren 166. type brooches
in the Carpathian basin have been conducted in parallel by M. Mączyńska and S. Cociş, but the results
of their research partly overlap on the topics of the brooches’ origin and appearance in the Great
Hungarian Plain. Projecting the several variants of the Almgren 166. type brooches found in the Great
Hungarian Plain on a dispersion map (Pl. 5.), it is visible that such brooches appear most frequently
in the northern part of the Great Hungarian Plain – a region cohabited by the communities of the
Przeworsk culture and the Sarmatians –, and they appear only in a few cases south or east of this area.
This may indicate the objects’ origin. Further analysis of the dispersion of the variants of this type of
brooches show the following:
– the majority of the variants with notched wire applique can be found on the northern edge of the
Great Hungarian Plain, with the exception of two pieces from Szentes-Kistőke and Szentes-Sárgapart;
– the variants with simple and notched wire applique appear exclusively in the Trans-Tisa Region;
– the Trans-Tisa Region is the sole area of appearance of the Almgren 166. type brooches with
double wire appliques, with one exception from Madaras-Halmok;
– the needle holder and case with tapped end is characteristic for the northern edge of the Great
Hungarian Plain;
– artefacts made of silver mainly appear on the northern part of the Great Hungarian Plain, with
the exception of two pieces, originating from the Banat and Apulum. From a morphological point of
view they are diverse, decorated with a simple or notched wire applique, or the combination of the two;
– only two pieces, found in Hortobágy-Poroshát, share such level of similarity that it can be
assumed that they were produced in the same workshop.
Due to the morphological variety of this type, with the exception of the cases listed above, the
dispersion of the variants seems to be accidental. It is hard to separate characteristic pieces for a
particular region or to detect workshop districts, mainly because of the relatively easy manufacturing
technique of the brooches. By analysing the accompanying finds of the few undisturbed archaeological
complexes, the Almgren 166. type brooches can be dated principally between the 3rd and the end of
the 4th century AD.
The classical variant of the Vyškov type brooch made of bronze seems to be a unique piece in
the Carpathian basin, as it combines the features of the Vyškov and Bratei type brooches (Plate 2.).
This type of brooch can be dated to the D2–D2/D3 period, and according to the dispersion map (Plate
4/2.), they concentrate mainly in the eastern part of the Carpathian basin, around the known powercentres
of the territory inhabited by the Gepids. However, due to the uniform character of the female
Germanic costume, it is not possible to clearly connect it ethnically to the Gepids. Still, the lack of such
brooches from the territory between the Tisa and Danube rivers, inhabited by the Sarmatians in the
discussed period, should be noted.

The Christianization of the population of Dobrudja was a long and quite difficult process. Of course, with adoption of the religion, funeral behavior underwent a significant change, coordinated by symbolism and by the teachings of Holly Scripture. Researchers` attention is still focused on aspects of specific Christian burial rites and rituals, namely the way in which the transition from the cremation to burial was made, the way in which a series of pagan funeral practices were taken over and the stages of the process of replacing ancient rituals with those of the new religions.
Overall, it is possible to make a man renounce his own beliefs in order to be integrated into society and in the sacred space, but you cannot make him forget his ethnic origin and the customs worn by generations, and so, some pagan customs have been metamorphosed into Christian rituals.

This is one of the high points of my work. I had done the work for many years, studied society from every point of view and amazed how less interested Finnish people were about European basic history. This part of the series is the key to understand how Rome broke into pieces: when the main capital lost its power, in every point of view, then the links broke down, and chaos begins. I was amazed at how precisely laws of chaos worked. I just looked at the forms and they told the path of chaos. Just amazing!

This article publishes a polychrome plate brooch, which was found in 2015 near Konevo (Kursk obl. / RUS) village. The examination of its typological position and chronology leads to the conclusion that the brooch from Konevo meets with its closest parallels, on the one hand, among the assemblages in the middle Danube area, which are reference com- plexes for Stage D2 (as in Untersiebenbrunn), and, on the other hand, among the late brooches from the 2nd hoard at Szilágysomlyó (Group II of R. Stark’s typology), synchronous to the late Stage D2 or early Stage D2/D3. The early Great Migration period (late 4th to mid-5th centuries) in the region where the published brooch was found is represented by sites of the »classical« Cherniakhov culture, of the L’gov-Fatezh group, also related to this culture, and of the Desna variant of the Kiev culture developing into the Kolochin culture. There are  ve rich assemblages found in this region, in- cluding two hoards of goods and coins (denarii), and two or three destroyed graves. Some of the rich graves, brooches (among them the Konevo  nd), belt sets etc. from the Kursk and neighbouring regions indicate that these lands were a part of the »empire« of Attila (434-453), centred in the middle Danube area.

The studies of the Middle Oka pottery were based on 133 whole vessel shapes recovered from cemeteries Zarechye 4, Nikitino, Shatrishchi and Undrikh.Territorially the enumerated sites enter the central cluster of the Ryazan-Oka cemeteries. All vessels are  hand-made, dominating shapes are pots. To establish chronology of pottery shapes the method of seriation was used (Fig. 10). As a result,four groups of association containing vessels have been singled out (Fig. 12). Their chronology was based on the occurrence of vessels in associations with metal objects. The stage of formation of the pottery complex associated with the Middle Oka population two groups of vessels (groups I and II) may be singled out. Evidently, these were initially related to different cultural components. Closest analogies of the pots of group I are present in the late Scythian antiquities of the Upper Don: the Ishutino fortified settlement and the Vyazovo cemetery (Figs. 16: 6–8; 17). Whole series of the vessels identical to those from the Middle Oka region are known from these sites. Their counterparts are also reported from the late Zarubintsy antiquities and the sites of late D’yakovo culture (Figs. 13–15).
It is more complicated a task to reveal prototypes of the vessels included into group II. Some scholars put forward an idea concerning their local origin related to the materials of Gorodets culture. Nonetheless,no analogies have been revealed either among the reconstructed pottery shapes of Gorodets culture, or in the antiquities from the adjacent territories, the D’yakovo and late Zarubintsy ones in particular. At the sites of the mentioned above cultures the discussed pottery shapes are represented by single potsherds only (Fig. 18: 3–7). Thus, the question concerning their origin remains debatable.
Investigators traditionally associate burnished bowls with the presence of the D’yakovo and Moshchiny cultural components in the Middle Oka region.The period of most substantial changes in the pottery complex of the Middle Oka inhabitants falls within the mid 5th c. By that time vessels of group I fell out of use in the region. No genetic links between these vessels and later shapes can be traced.The appearance and spread of vessels of group III in the Middle Oka region coincides with the coming of alien population groups to the forest zone. These events had caused instability in the region, marked,in particular, by disappearance of Moshchiny culture and transformations in the material culture of the Oka and the Volga basins. It should be pointed out that for some late shapes of the vessels prototypes may be found in the Moshchino antiquities widely spread in the discussed period in the forest zone (Fig. 18: 9).

At the end of the 5'h century - and especially in the 6th century- animal motifs based on Germanic (mainly Scandinavian) ornamental styles reached the eastern Baltic region. However, in this period animal motifs did not evolve as an independent art system. All artefacts decorated with animals found in the eastern Baltic region are unique items, suggesting distinct influences or traits emanating from several workshops. Therefore, it is difficult to set up a typological series of animal-style artefacts that were manufactured and found in this region. All groups of metalwork, e.g. certain types of brooches, garment pins, belt buckle plates and drinking horn mounts, followed different schemes of decoration and demonstrate the absence of a systematic animal style from the 5'h century to the early 7'h century. In general, animal motifs are not typical in the eastern Baltic ornamentation system during the Migration Period. The main stylistic feature was instead characterised by geometrical designs, which are common on a wide range of archaeological material. Therefore, all 'naturalistic' animal motifs that were introduced into the Baltic geometrical environment were strongly influenced by geometrical design, and animals started to be schematic and abstract. Baltic ornamentation traditions received huge creative impulses based on animal motifs during this period, and from the end of the 7th century to the end of the 8th century the Baltic artisans transformed, adapted and developed a distinctive local style, which constitutes animal style, even though it is largely based on geometrical motifs and abstract animal design.

За една од најзначајните преселби во историјата на човештвото се смета Големата преселба на народите која започнала во раниот среден век. Таа претставува еден од најсложените историски процеси кој многу се одразил врз средновековната „цивилизирана” Европа и кулминирал со падот на Римското Царство. Почетокот на оваа голема средновековна миграција започнува со Хунскиот продор низ т.н "Врата на Народоте" во 4 век кој ќе ги потисне останатите барбарски племиња да се придвижат кон Европа. Станува збор за еден процес кој можеме да го разгледуваме како "домино ефект" каде Хуните придвижувајќи се кон запад ќе предизвикаат една верижна реакцика која можеме да ја наречеме "Големата преселба на Нароите."

The aim of the paper is to summarize our knowledge regarding the 3rd and 4th centuries AD in South-eastern Transylvania, based on the older and new research. After the roman withdrawal in 271 the area was inhabited by the Sântana de Mureș-Chernyakhov culture. In this period the area is characterized by dense settlement network, villages located on flood-free terraces, made of several houses. Even though cemeteries of great extent haven’t been yet discovered, their existence is suggested by several grave finds. In areas rich of bog-iron a main component of the economy was iron smelting. It looks like at the end of the 4th century AD the Gothic tribes moved westward, probably because of the pressure by the Huns. This moving seems supported by radiocarbon datings too.

Recent years have brought discoveries that shed
new light on the settlement situation in the late
migration period in Western Pomerania. Such
an artefact is radiate-headed bow fibula, found
accidentally near Chociwel, in the vicinity of the
Płątkowo village (West Pomeranian Voivodeship,
Poland). The brooch is typologically similar to
group ID – type Pleniţa-Tumiany acc. to J. Werner.
The combination of a pair of ‘bird heads’ with
an openwork lyre-shaped ornament also refer
to the fibulae of group IC acc. to J. Werner (Maros-
Gambaş-Pergamon type), including miniature
specimens. Pleniţa-Tumiany fibulae occur
on a vast area between the Adriatic and the Dnieper
river, mainly in the areas of the Carpathian
Basin and early Slavic sites in Romania. Generally,
they are dated to the second half of the 6th–
mid-7th cc. In the area of origin group IC fibulae
concentrate mainly in the areas of the Carpathian
Basin and on the lower Danube. IC and ID fibulae
are also represented in the materials of the
Olsztyn group, where they are dated from the
last quarter of the 6th to the end of the first half of
the 7th century. The unique way of decorating the
footplate of the Płątkowo brooch was probably
inspired by the buckles with a lyre-shaped ferrule,
so-called Drachenpaarschnallen. Undecorated
buckles of this type are known primarily from
the areas of Avar settlement in the Transdanubia,
between the Danube and the Tisza rivers,
at the central Tisza river, Transylvania and also
in Slovakia. The dating of undecorated variants
of Drachenpaarschnallen extends to the second
and third thirds of the 7th century. Similar feature
of the fibula from Płątkowo suggests that it
belongs to later versions of the radiate-headed
brooches and can be carefully dated to the first
half of the 7th century IC and I D fibulae were
worn by inhabitants of the multi-ethnic territory
of the Avar state and in areas where the Slavs
were mentioned in sources for the first time in
the 6th century. Płątkowo brooch is currently the
second known example of this type in Western
Pomerania. The first one was found in Rów near
Myślibórz. The question arises whether the two
brooches were made on the spot as imitations of
products from the south, or were they brought
to Western Pomerania as a result of far-reaching
contacts with the inhabitants of the Carpathian
Basin? There is an opinion that in Western Pomerania
the end of the settlement associated with
the tradition of late antiquity occurred in the first
decades of the 6th century. The environmental
data show a rapid cooling and lowering of water
levels in the mid-6th century, although some data
indicate settlement activity at the Odra mouth in
5th–6th centuries. Stabilization of natural conditions
took place at the beginning of the 7th century.
From the mid-7th century, as a result of the
expansion of the Slavic settlement, the cultural
pattern in the Western Pomerania changes. For
the sites located west of the lower Odra, this phenomenon
was confirmed by dendrochronological
dates. To the east of the Odra, settlements dated
from the 8th century were located on the Pyrzyce
Plain, in the Mała Ina valley and in the Myślibórz
Lakeland. The Płątkowo brooch is another finding
giving rise to considerations on the character
of the settlement model changes in West Pomerania
from ‘Germanic’ to ‘Slavonic’. It is probable
that before the Slavic expansion, these areas were
not completely abandoned and there were some
‘surviving’ groups of people functioning in connection
with the communication route between
Scandinavia and the Danube areas, which were
absorbed by the Slavic element.

In the Kursk Region three famous hoards dating from the late 4th or early 5th century AD were found close to each other – the Bolshoi Kamenets Hoard, the Paniki or so-called Oboyan Hoard and the Volnikovka Hoard. This was a unique situation in Eastern Europe. Archive and field research in the course of the last decade has made it possible to specify the archaeological contexts of the find-spots, the circumstances in which they were found and also to identify settlements of the same period, dating from the late and final stages of antiquities from the Chernyakhov culture in the Seim River basin. All three complexes are associated with burials which were destroyed and looted in the 19th and20th centuries. They represent an extremely rare phenomenon against the background of antiquities from settlements in this particular region and can definitely be regarded as part of the series of elite burials of «princes» or «leaders» dating from the beginning of the
period of the Great Migration of the Peoples in Europe.

The Vermand Treasure is a group of grave goods, dated to the second half of the 4th century, recovered from a military burial in northern France. This paper considers the possibility that they belonged to a solder in the Roman army of Sarmatian origins. Appendix 2 includes technical observations concerning the manufacture and preservation of six objects from the treasure, four of partially gilded cast silver with niello decoration and two of forged iron with precious metal cladding, are presented in this appendix. The techniques of Kerbschnitt, niello, and mercury gilding are considered briefly.

New " treasure " of the Great Migrations era discovered near the village of Volnikovka in the Kursk region. Preliminary note. This article is devoted to an important new " princely " discovery of the Hunnic era in the Kursk region, which was made accidentally. It is the tomb of a military chief, buried with his arms and the harness of his horse. Described in detail, these are: two swords with cloisonné décor with garnets and gold-plated sheaths, sword suspension fittings and harness pieces in gilt silver and also decorated with garnets. According to its grave goods, the discovery of Volnikovka is from the period D2 (380/400– 440/450) or from the Untersiebenbrunn horizon of princely sites, some of which were discovered in Eastern Europe. It is possible that the burial was at a shallow depth and in this case, it must have been entirely destroyed. On the other hand, it cannot be excluded that the burial was conducted there in a funerary chamber with an Alan type of dromos. Keywords Hunnic period – Kursk region – " princely " tomb Pratiquement toutes les découvertes appartenant aux élites «princières» de l'époque des Grandes Migrations , provenant de la partie sud d'Europe orien-tale ont été mises au jour par hasard et ont subi des pillages. La nouvelle découverte, celle de Volnikovka, provenant de la région au nord de la ville de Koursk a été elle aussi en partie détruite par des fouilleurs clandestins. Cette découverte est publiée en russe (Starodubtsev et al. 2014), cependant n'existe aucune publication en langue occidentales. Les circonstances de la découverte À la fin du juin de 2010 la police a arrêté un groupe d'habitants locaux et a confisqué plus de 150 objets, provenant d'une tombe détruite. Puis les archéologues, notamment Olga Scheglova (Institut d'Histoire de la civilisation matérielle, Saint-Péters-bourg) et l'auteur de cette notice ont pu étudier ces objets ainsi que prospecter le lieu de découverte. Ce lieu se situe à 1,9 km au sud-ouest du village de Volnikovka (district de Fatezh), en face de lieu – dit «Razboinitchy Log» (fig. 1). Les objets ont été trouvés sur la rive gauche du ruisseau qui forme la rivière de Usozh, faisant partie du bassin du fleuve de Sejm, sur un promontoire de l'hauteur de 8 m, en pente douce du ravin, formé par le cours du ruisseau (fig. 2). Un chemin terrestre important vers le nord passe à peu près à 1 km du lieu de la sépulture. Les premières découvertes des objets dans cet endroit ont été ef-fectuées en 1987 lors des travaux de construction. Location of the study site on a map of Europe. Poloha studované lokality na mapě Evropy.