SlovenSká archeológia lXvi – 1, 2018, 49 – 105 CAROLINGIAN OR NOT? AN ANALYSIS OF THE FITTING FROM HALICZANY IN THE CONTEXT OF OTHER EARLY MEDIEVAL FINDS FROM SELECTED AREAS OF THE WESTERN SLAVIC TERRITORIES1 ZBIGNIEW ROBAK The paper presents some remarks on the chronology and spatial distribution of the late avar, carolingian, and great Moravian finds in selected areas of the Western Slavic Territories. The main subject of this paper is to analyse a particular item found in haliczany, chełm county in Poland. The fitting fromh aliczany has already been subjected to typological and chronological analyses twice. in each case, however, it led the authors to entirelly different conclusions and since the space for its interpretation remains broad, it requires some clarification. The purpose of the study is to indicate possible origins of the fitting fromh aliczany in terms of both typology and the route it travelled to finally reach the areas of today eastern Poland. There are two competing explanations that are examined in this paper concerning either carolingian or nomadic origins of the item in question. in the methodological dimension the paper provides arguments in favour of considering even single finds in a context broader than only stylistic speculations, including also cultural, historical, and when possible also ‘geopolitical’ determinants. key words: early Middle ages, central europe, late avar culture, carolingian culture, Slavic culture. INTRODUCTION The Fitting FroM haliczany The paper presents some remarks on the chro­ The artefact from haliczany is a small strap fit­ nology and spatial distribution of the late avar, ting, resembling a head of a sheep seen from the carolingian, and great Moravian finds in selected front (Fig. 1: 1). The fitting is 2 cm high and 2.2 cm areas of the Western Slavic Territories. Some of these wide. it was made of copper and in its lower part comments have already been presented in a mono­ we can still see traces of gilding. The surface of the graphic study (Robak 2013b; 2014), but most of them fitting is filled with an ornament executed with have not been included there. The main subject of pseudo-granulation or rather small, roughly made this paper is to analyse a particular item found in knobs, about 1 mm in diameter, arranged linearly. haliczany, chełm county in Poland (Bronicki/Micha- edges of the fitting smoothly turn into a central rib lik/Wołoszyn 2003). The purpose of the study is to divi ding the upper part of the fitting into two. From indicate possible origins of the item in terms of both the bottom, the surface of the fitting is concave. The typology and the route it travelled to finally reach entire fitting was mounted with three rivets. it has the areas of today eastern Poland. in the methodo­ been found in a mound of a kurgan attributed to the logical dimension the paper provides arguments in Trzciniec culture, right at the border between humus favour of considering even single finds in a context and the original surface of the kurgan. Since the very broader than only stylistic speculations, including beginning, however, features of the fitting does not also cultural, historical, and when possible also ‘geo­ exclude that it could be attributed to the Bronzea ge political’ determinants. The paper is organised as or directly linked with the burial mound. Both the follows: the subsections below describe the artefact kurgan and its vicinity was used as a burial ground itself and provide an overview of previous analyses in modern times and the accumulation of early of the item. Second and third section investigate two medieval (pottery) as well as single late medieval hypotheses about possible contexts of the artefact, finds suggests intense human activities in this area nomadic and carolingian, respectively. Finally, throughout the Middle ages, particularly between the conclusion summarises results and provides the 8th and 10th c. it seems, thus, that the space for the some general remarks on the chronological and interpretation of the find was (and still is) wide. it geographical distribution of early medieval finds in cannot be ruled out that the kurgan served as a bu­ selected areas of Western Slavic Territories. rial ground also in the early Middle Ages (Bronicki/ 1 The research was supported by the Project aPVV-14-0842 ‘Process and regularities of settlement development in mountain and foothill regions of Western Slovakia’ and VEGA-2/0001/18 ‘Slovakia and Middle Danube region from the early historic Period till the Beginning of the Middle ages’ (ratio 50 : 50). 50 ZBIGNIEW ROBAK Fig. 1. 1 – haliczany; 2 – loretto-krainäcker; 3 – kehida Tsz-major; 4 – Balmazújváros-hortobágy-árkus; 5 – keszthely- Dobogó; 6 – zalaszabar; 7 – Mockersdorf. Michalik/Wołoszyn 2003, 221 – 230). naturally, there­ from Haliczany has Carolingian origins (Schulze- fore, there aroused questions as to where from, which Dörrlamm 2005, 131, 132). an argument justifying way, when and what for the item was deposited in this hypothesis was a find of a similarly decorated the kurgan. Because, however, the sources are insuf­ fitting at the cemetery in Mockersdorf, lkr. neustadt ficient, answers to these questions may not be always an der Waldnaab, located in the area of the Upper unambiguous, although the analysis of available Palatinate (Fig. 1: 7; Stroh 1954, pl. 15: 20). Further sources may at least make some hypotheses more arguments substantiating the hypothesis were probable and falsify some others. provided by other finds of strap fittings of thec aro­ lingian type decorated with pseudo­granulation on a symmetrically divided plate. Two hypotheses analysing the fitting from haliczany, however, we should ask a question, whether the method of The fitting from Haliczany has already been decoration itself (as in this case we cannot speak of subjected to typological and chronological analyses any particular style that could significantly facilitate twice (Bronicki/Michalik/Wołoszyn 2003; Schulze-Dör- the process of determining cultural affiliation of the rlamm 2005), although in each case it led the authors item) is a feature sufficient to establish origins of to entirely different conclusions. in one case the the artefact. The technique of decoration, pseudo- authors highlighted the nomadic context of the find, granulation or knobs, is, unfortunately, nothing whereas the other one stressed its Western European uncommon in the early Middle ages. of course connotations. The authors of the first publication of it can be found on fittings of the carolingian type the find (Bronicki/Michalik/Wołoszyn 2003) looked for (Robak 2013b, 162; Wamers 1985, 75), although it was its analogies among artefacts typical for the Eastern not very popular in this culture. More often this european nomads, mainly the hungarians. This manner of decoration of the background can be direction was supported by another find from this found on fittings linked with cultures of early me­ kurgan, namely an old hungarian lyre buckle. as dieval nomads. a punched or knobbed background the authors have, however, admitted themselves, is one of specific determinants of the ornamentation they could not find an exact analogy for the fitting. of late and decline Avar periods (Szenthe 2013b). This on the other hand, M. Schulze-Dörrlamm in a paper method of filling the ornamentation space, however, of 2005 formulated a presumption that the artefact was known also in other early medieval European carolingian or noT? an analySiS oF The Fitting FroM haliczany 51 cultures. M. Schulze-Dörrlamm, for example, refers U­shaped plate with indentations on the sides and to the longobardian fittings decorated with granu­ a broadened upper part resembling a volute. The lation and dated back to the 7th c. (Schulze-Dörrlamm fitting is plastically decorated with pseudo-granu­ 2005, fig. 6: 1). and thus, drawing definite conclu­ lation and knobs placed on the upper edge. Unfor­ sions relying solely on the decorative pattern is at tunately the context of the find was lost.a ccording best too hasty. The main trouble with proving the to the most recent research, the entire cemetery, as carolingian origins of the fitting from haliczany confirmed by the finds, should be dated back to is linked, however, with the fact that none of the the period from the second half of the 8th c. to the fittings quoted by M. Schulze-Dörrlamm provides beginning of the 10th c., with a particular emphasis a typological analogy for this artefact. Furthermore, on the turn of the 8th and 9th c. (Brundke 2013, 69). in the aforementioned monograph i could not find The fitting was considered to bec arolingian, i pre­ such an analogy among over 2000 fittings from sume, based solely on the general assumption that the entire Europe that typologically or indirectly the cemetery belongs to the carolingian-ottonian through the context of the find could be attributed to row­grave­cemeteries (Stroh 1954). the Carolingian cultural milieu (Robak 2013b; 2014). indeed, the decorative manner used to decorate among strap fittings of thec arolingian type, both the fitting from Mockersdorf is relatively close to early and late Carolingian decorated applications of the one used to decorate the one from haliczany. straps, there are no items in a shape similar to the The more careful analysis of the find, however, one of the fitting fromh aliczany. This observation together with considerations for a wider context of inclines us to be rather cautious or even sceptical the find, raises significant doubts about itsc arolin­ about the hypothesis of the Carolingian origins and gian origins. Most of all, the fitting from Mockers- to return to exploring other directions. Decorations dorf (similarly as the one from Haliczany) has no similar both in terms of shape and dimensions are analogies among thousands of known fittings of the common equipment of avar graves in the area of carolingian type.