From the Central Region towards the peripheries. A chronological analysis of a prestige good – the mount ornamented sabretache
From the Central Region towards the peripheries. A chronological analysis of a prestige good – the mount ornamented sabretache

Summary/Abstract: The spatial and chronological spread of sabretaches decorated with mounts, one of the emblematic prestige goods of the Hungarian Conquest period, represents a relatively underexplored area of 10th century funerary archaeology. The present study examines the dating of this category of objects through five aspects. It concluding that although the spread of this specific item – considered a symbol of societal prestige – begins with the Hungarian Conquest, and its use is traceable as early as the 9th century, the quantitative peak of its usage was reached significantly later, during the mid to late 10th century. Other than the early/earlier examples from Karos and Szeged, a significant number of such items can be dated to much later periods. This clearly suggests that a parallel use of sabretaches decorated with mounts and those decorated with plates occurred, moreover, the specimen from Choma dates later than all known plate decorated sabretaches. The sabretaches from the Upper Tisza region, Cluj Napoca, and Przemyśl share structural similarities, in contrast to the examples from the Szeged and Budapest’s surroundings, and these structural similarities hold a chronological significance as well. It can be asserted, based on the earliest identifiable examples from the Upper Tisza region, that the spread of sabretaches decorated with mounts, similarly to those decorated with plates, appears to follow a multi phase chronological process, the latest occurrences being those from Cluj Napoca, Choma, and Przemyśl – in southern Poland. This fact likely has geopolitical and geoeconomic explanations, as both regions are known for their significant salt resources.

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