A Unique Funerary Assemblage from the Late Avar Period. A Rare Iron Tool and the Issue of Salt Extraction in Transylvanian in the Early Middle Ages
A Unique Funerary Assemblage from the Late Avar Period. A Rare Iron Tool and the Issue of Salt Extraction in Transylvanian in the Early Middle Ages

Summary/Abstract: The author attempts to identify the function of a rare iron implement type, which occurs in a Late Avar period grave assemblage in the Carpathian Basin and several iron tool depots in the Donetsk Basin. The archaeological contexts and the geographical locations of these tools, together with their reconstructed function offer a tempting opportunity to build a historical model. I conclude that the ”Mártély” grave may have contained the remains of an individual who played a role in the exploitation and distribution of mineral resources, probably salt from Transylvania. The study uses a deductive method to investigate the social modalities of extraction and distribution during the early medieval period.

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