page_title: Treasure of Nagyszentmiklós
section_title: Cultural context
hierarchical_section_title: Treasure of Nagyszentmiklós / Cultural context
caption_attribution_description: English: The treasure of Nagyszentmiklós. The Álmos legend from the Hungarian mythology: Emese's dream of the Turul bird
context_page_description: The Treasure of Nagyszentmiklós is an important hoard of 23 early medieval gold vessels, in total weighing 9.945 kg, found in 1799 near Nagyszentmiklós, Kingdom of Hungary, meaning "Great St Nicholas". After the excavation, the treasure was transferred to Vienna, the dynastic capital of the Habsburg Monarchy. Ever since, it has been in the possession of the Kunsthistorisches Museum there, where it is on permanent display.
  A wide range of views continue to be held as to the dating and the origins of the styles of the pieces, and the context in which they were made, which may well vary between the pieces. Unusually, the inscriptions on some pieces have increased the complexity of the arguments rather than reduced them. In 2008 Romanian officials asked the Austrian government for the treasure's repatriation.
  In the 19th century the treasure was widely regarded in Hungary as originating with precursors of the Hungarian people, and played a notable part as an icon of Hungarian nationalism. In particular the gold cup with a bull's head facing back over the bowl was known as the "Cup of Attila" - Attila the Hun having died in 453.
context_section_description: The cultural milieu or milieux in which the objects in the treasure were created, assembled and deposited remains controversial, with the debate often influenced by nationalistic concerns.
caption: Illustration on the treasure of Nagyszentmiklós depicting a scene of the divine Garuda bird lifting up a human body. Some claim to be similar to one in the Álmos legend from the Hungarian mythology: Emese's dream of the Turul bird.
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