Bracelets with Splayed Ends and Decorated Appliqués in the Carpathian Basin in the Second Half of the Avar Period (7th – 8th Centuries AD)

New Data on the Relations of Avar Artefacts with Northern Italy and the Alpine Region

Abstract

Bracelets with Splayed Ends and Decorated Appliqués in the Carpathian Basin in the Second Half of the Avar Period (7^th – 8^th Centuries AD). New Data on the Relations of Avar Artefacts with Northern Italy and the Alpine Region
The paper deals with bracelets with splayed ends and decorated appliqués from the second half of the Avar period (second half of the 7^th and 8^th c. AD). This type of jewellery was uncommon in the Avar Kaghanate, most of them being found in the western part of the Carpathian Basin. Six types can be distinguished based on the ornamentation of the terminals. The earliest one with beaded trim and ribs is typical in the Vienna Basin and the Balaton region. Such bracelets are known from the Emilia Romagna, South Tyrolia and Styria. Most likely, the earliest specimens originated from Northern Italy and reached the Avars via the Alps in the last quarter of the 7^th century. The other ornamental variations could be the results of internal developments. This kind of jewellery remained in fashion until the second half of the 8^th century. The Lombardic-Avar contacts were examined mostly in the context of the Early Avar period. However, the bracelets with splayed ends and decorated appliqués serve as good evidence for the south-western connections of the Avars after the second half of the 7^th century.