18 July 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

An Avar Warrior Buried with Lamellar Armor and Equipment Discovered in Hungary

Archaeologists of the Déri Museum in Debrecen (eastern Hungary) found the tomb of a fully armed and with a complete set of lamellar armor Avar warrior in November 2023 near Ebes (a village near Debrecen), the museum announced.

The Avars arrived in Europe from the Central Asian steppes in the mid-sixth century CE and dominated much of Central and Eastern Europe for almost 250 years.

Inside the Avar tomb from the 7th century AD, the warrior was buried next to his horse placed underneath. However, the most notable aspect of the find was the remains of the funerary equipment: a full complement of lamellar armor was found on the skeleton’s bones, along with a wooden quiver containing arrows, a sword, and a bow.

It is one of the best-preserved Avar funerary sets found to date in the country. Its research will shed new light on the military gear and funeral customs of this nomadic people that migrated to the Pannonian Plain in the sixth and eighth centuries AD.

 Photo: Déri Múzeum
Photo: Déri Múzeum

The lamellar armor is only the second complete Avar funerary set in such a well-preserved state. The archaeologists were able to extract the entire set (excluding the horse bones) in a single block.

Avar heavy cavalry carried lamellar armor as a vital piece of gear. This kind of armor is typically found in graves in small fragments, some of which have been stitched together. It is made up of hundreds of interlocking rectangular plates, and this type of armor was widely used in Eastern Europe and Asia.

The 7th-century warrior was given the name “Rufus” by experts since the discovery was made on November 20, Rufus Day.

This discovery completely rewrites the region’s Avar history in the Early Middle Ages, highlighting Debrecen’s importance as a hub for archaeological research in Hungary at the time.

Cover Photo: The remains of the Avar warrior with his armor and equipment. Déri Múzeum

Related Articles

Scientists discover traces of paint on the Parthenon Sculptures that reveal their true colours

12 October 2023

12 October 2023

Recent research on the Parthenon Sculptures has found traces of the original paint used to decorate the Parthenon Sculptures, revealing...

Rare 2,800-year-old Assyrian Scarab Seal-Amulet Found in Tabor Nature Reserve

12 February 2024

12 February 2024

A hiker in northern Israel found a rare scarab seal-amulet from the First Temple period on the ground in the...

Perre Ancient City Set to Revive Its 1,800-Year-Old Grape Mill

26 January 2025

26 January 2025

In Perre, one of the five major cities of the Kingdom of Commagene, ancient production methods will meet today’s technology....

Archaeologists Discover Ivan III’s Seal in Moscow — The First Grand Ducal and Final Lead Seal Ever Found

22 June 2025

22 June 2025

Archaeologists uncover the first grand ducal seal from Moscow, linked to the founder of the centralized Russian state. Archaeologists conducting...

Archaeologists discovered the earliest Iron Age house in Athens and Attica

26 May 2023

26 May 2023

A research team from the University of Göttingen discovered the earliest  Iron Age house in Athens and Attica. Archaeologists from...

Archaeologists discovered a 2,000-year-old rock-carved face at Spain’s Tossal de La Cala castle

20 May 2023

20 May 2023

Archaeologists have discovered a rock-carved face at Toscal De La Cala, a Roman fort in Benidorm, on the east coast...

A 2,000-year-old Roman grave belonging to soldier Flaccus unearthed in Netherlands

9 December 2024

9 December 2024

Archaeologists have uncovered a 2,000-year-old grave from the Roman settlement in Heerlen, Netherlands. The latest analysis has shown that it...

The First Dinosaurs Discovered in Japan From the Late Cretaceous Period

30 April 2021

30 April 2021

Yamatosaurus Izanagii, a new genus, and species of hadrosaur or duck-billed dinosaur have been discovered on one of Japan’s southern...

Medieval ‘Testicle Dagger’ Unearthed at Swedish Fortress

19 May 2025

19 May 2025

Archaeologists in Gothenburg, southwestern Sweden, have made a rather striking discovery at the site of the ancient Gullberg Fortress: a...

Two mysterious stone balls were found buried in a tomb dating to 3500 BC in Orkney

2 September 2021

2 September 2021

In Orkney, archaeologists discovered two carved stone balls in a tomb dating from 3500 BC. Archaeologists are on-site at Tresness,...

Ancient tomb with prayer-related murals found in China’s Shanxi

25 December 2021

25 December 2021

Archaeologists in north China’s Shanxi Province have found an ancient tomb dating back to the Jin Dynasty (1115-1234) with murals...

Archaeologists uncover a 1,500-year-old Lost Mayan city in the Yucatan

28 May 2022

28 May 2022

Researchers have presented their findings after discovering the remnants of an ancient Mayan city on a building site in Mexico....

45,000 years ago, Neanderthals in the Swabian Jura used complex tool-making techniques

13 September 2021

13 September 2021

Findings that will change our perception of Neanderthals’ sophistication A team from the University of Tübingen have proved that Middle...

Famous Egyptologist Zahi Hawass Wants to See Hieroglyphs as an İntegral Part of The Curriculum

23 February 2021

23 February 2021

The Egyptian council of ministers is discussing the introduction of archaeological and tourist materials in the education curriculum to help...

Scientists identified a unique engraving that could be the oldest three-dimensional (3D) map in the world

4 January 2025

4 January 2025

Scientists working in the Ségognole 3 cave, located in the famous sandstone massif south of Paris have identified a unique...