From magical pots to horse skulls and sacrificed dogs - ritual deposits in Medieval Hungary
Channel: European Association of Archaeologists
Date: 2018-11-05

During the decades long archaeological research of early medieval rural settlements throughout the Carpathian Basin numerous ritual deposits were found, the scholarly interpretions of which sometimes differed greatly. Common lack of data about their exact archaeological context also left them open for predetermined opinions. Were they building sacrifices or part of fertility rituals? Can they be seen as remains of "heathen" belief systems, or do they mirror superstitions of medieval folk Christianity - or witchcraft? Can some of the dog sacrifices be attributed to Kipchaks, and thus have an ethnical aspect? Instead of looking for exclusatory answers we must see such findigns in a broader context, considering their numerous Bronze and Iron Age paralels and relations with Christian simbolism as well.

Author: Szabó, Dénes - Ópusztaszer National Heritage Park (Presenting author)