7th Century Armored Avar Warrior Buried with Horse Uncovered in Hungary

Archaeologists from the Déri Museum have unveiled an exciting find: the burial of an Avar warrior accompanied by a fully intact ‘lamellar’ armor set within a solitary early Avar tomb. This discovery, located near the village of Ebes in Hajdú-Bihar County, Hungary, is dated to the early 7th century AD. The burial site contains the skeletal remains of a Pannonian Avar warrior, buried alongside his horse, positioned above him.

A Horse with No Name: Elite Warrior Status?

As the discovery was made by archaeologists on November 20, which is ‘Rufus Day’ in Hungary, they have called the warrior ‘Rufus’. The burial was interesting to say the least.

Beneath the horse lay the armor, carefully placed over the deceased, along with the warrior's wooden open quiver containing arrows, his bow, and sword. This inclusion aligns with customary Avar practices, where horses were often sacrificially interred alongside individuals of elite status due to their perceived supernatural qualities.

The warrior's remains, along with this collection of objects, were carefully excavated as a single unit for micro-analysis. The Déri Museum underscored the significance of the lamellar armor, indicating that the inclusion of such prestigious funerary offerings suggests the warrior held a position of considerable status within Avar society.

The remains of the Avar warrior. (Déri Museum/Hungarian Museums)

The importance of this tomb lies in the pristine, well-preserved condition of the armor, which is the second complete lamellar suit ever discovered, according to a press release! Apart from the horse bones, the entire collection of artifacts has been meticulously excavated, and are undergoing documentation and restoration at a workshop. The deceased was likely a warrior who lived during the early Avar period.

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The Avars and Lamellar Armor

The nomadic Avars migrated to Europe from the Central Asian steppes during the mid-sixth century AD, establishing dominance over large swathes of Central and Eastern Europe for nearly 250 years.
This discovery represents one of the most well-preserved Avar funerary sets unearthed in the country to date, reports Arkeonews, telling us more about a people who migrated to the Pannonian Plain between the sixth and eighth centuries AD.

The origins of the Avars are believed to be in the region of modern-day Mongolia or the Western Siberian plains. They were originally a Turkic-speaking people but later assimilated with other ethnic groups. Avar society was organized around a hierarchical structure, with a ruling elite and a warrior class. They were skilled horsemen and fierce warriors, known for their military prowess and raiding expeditions. They practiced a form of shamanism and had elaborate burial customs, often burying their elite members with rich grave goods and sacrificial offerings.

The lamellar armor is the second complete Avar funerary set found in remarkably preserved condition. Archaeologists successfully extracted the entire set, excluding the horse bones, as a single block. (Déri Museum/Hungarian Museums)

Lamellar armor held significant importance among Avar heavy cavalry equipment, yet only fragmented pieces of various types of armor made from small iron plates (hundreds of interlocking rectangular plates) are typically uncovered in graves. Tombs containing a sufficient number of slats to suggest a complete armor set have often been disturbed by contemporary or modern intrusions. It's worth noting that such armors were tailored to individuals, lacking uniformity in size, shape, number of slats, lacing methods, and rows.

Experts named the 7th-century warrior "Rufus" as the discovery occurred on November 20, known as Rufus Day in Hungary.. (Déri Museum/Hungarian Museums)

During the archaeological excavation of the M35 motorway near Derecske, on the southwestern border, this armor, considered complete in light of contemporary European armor findings, marks the first instance of a fully uncovered lamellar suit by specialists and was meticulously highlighted in its original context by archaeologists at the Déri Museum, reports the museum press release.

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This find in Derecske has allowed for the reconstruction of early Avar lamellar armor with remarkable authenticity. The significance of this discovery is underscored by its inclusion in exhibitions featuring equestrian nomads, first in Austria (Schallaburg) and later in Germany (Halle).

Modern copy of a variant of lamellar armor dating to the late Warring States through Western Han dynasty era (Gary Todd from Xinzheng/CC0)

By restoring and documenting as many intact armor finds as possible, a more comprehensive understanding of Avar heavy cavalry can be achieved.

Top image: Archaeologists at Déri Museum made a significant discovery: a fully intact lamellar armor was unearthed from a solitary Early Avar warrior burial, near the border of Ebes, Hungary. Source: Déri Museum/Hungarian Museums

By Sahir Pandey