ON THE ORIGINS OF A JEWELRY SET FROM THE BURIAL OF A NOBLE KUMAN WOMAN IN BALOTA PUSZTA (KISKUNHALAS, HUNGARY)

Abstract

The article considers a rich and diverse set of fi ndings from Balota puszta (Hungary) associated with a female burial dating back to 13th century. A study of these objects allowed to identify individual groups of items characterizing the hypothetical origins of the elements of the funerary costume belonging to a noble Kuman woman. A silver torque, plate bracelets, gilded rings of a horn-shaped headdress, a medallion with a crystal insert and a ritual wand are associated with the period when Kuman tribes populated the East-European territory. The tradition of decorating the costume with plaques was probably inherited by the Kumans from the Hungarians. At the same time, a specifi c decoration system of a number of items (bracelets, medallion and plaques) indicates that they may have been manufactured by the single artisan in Central Europe. This is also indicated by the fact that similar fi ligree decoration is refl ected in the design of the wand support representing the foundation of a liturgical item of West-European origin. A buckle, a signet ring and ornaments with pseudo-granulated beads are characteristic of the costume worn by the population of the Carpathian-Balkan region in the 13th–14th centuries. In general, the inventory of the burial represents a combination of several
cultural traditions.