As you read this story, you will learn the following:
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Amateur archaeologists in Hungary have discovered three 1,100-year-old warrior tombs.
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Two of the fighters were teenagers when they died, and the third may have been the father of the youngest.
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A range of high-status grave goods were found in the tomb, including silver, gold and weapons.
Archaeological volunteers in Hungary have discovered the 1,100-year-old bodies of three warriors, uncovering not only some unique family relationships between the dead but also a wealth of elite-level artifacts bearing gold, silver and ancient weapons.
The graves of the three warriors were discovered outside Akashto, Hungary, more than 55 miles from Budapest, and date to the 920s or 930s AD, a key moment in the Hungarian conquest. The bodies were discovered by volunteers from the Kecskemét Soldier Joseph Museum Community Archeology Project during an excavation led by museum archaeologists.
According to a translated statement from the Hungarian Museum Association of the Pulski Association, the first grave belonged to a warrior who was between 17 and 18 years old at the time of his death. He was undoubtedly a member of the elite, as the grave goods included a silver oil dish, one of about 30 found in the Carpathian Basin.
The plaque was enough to indicate the young warrior’s elite status, but the tomb also contained a gold ring with a blue glass gemstone on the deceased’s left hand, two gold hoops in his hair, and decorative silver arm and leg rings. The tomb itself has silk, leather and wooden elements, and experts hope to continue analyzing it.
The warrior’s horse also has an interesting last rite. The animal – at least the head, legs and hide – was buried along with a gilded silver harness. However, experts believe that the rest of the horse was eaten, or at least burned, during the funeral.
Museum officials called it a “huge treasure” that the tomb had not been stolen, as it was “one of the richest tombs in the Tisza region.”
The second grave contains a younger warrior, perhaps only 15 or 16 years old. It is recorded that his tomb contained a bow and a quiver containing seven arrows life science. Decorative antler panels accentuate the bow handle.
The third tomb also has archery equipment and a 10th-Century Saber. Experts believe the warrior in the third tomb is aged between 30 and 35 years old and is likely to be the father of the youngest warrior, although they believe the three may be related in some way. The older warriors also wore silver bracelets and horse harnesses studded with coins. Archaeologists have found a total of 81 coins, mostly from northern Italy, which may have been obtained by warriors fighting there.
Museum experts say that while the three are likely to be genetically related, they may also have been linked through fighting, with the father and son possibly serving as the first warrior’s bodyguards.
Early analysis of all three bodies suggested they enjoyed a diet rich in animal protein, but there were no clues as to how the three warriors died.
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