Review article
https://doi.org/10.52064/vamz.59.1.5
Baranja in the shadow of the Khaganate - critical reinterpretation of old Avar-period finds, and interpretation of new ones
Anita Rapan Papeša
orcid.org/0000-0002-0041-1892
Anita Dugonjić
*
* Corresponding author.
Abstract
The currently available data on the Avar period in Baranja derives
largely from chance finds, which are frequently removed from
their original archaeological context, or insufficiently documented
according to contemporary standards of archaeological practice.
That the available evidence has such a structure significantly
hinders more precise interpretations of the social organisation,
settlement patterns and everyday life of Avar-period communities
in this area. The need for a stronger systematic reassessment
of the available data provided the primary impetus for this study.
This paper aims to compile a comprehensive inventory of all
known, as well as potential, sites of Avar-period provenance in
the Baranja region. It also aims to present the entire corpus of
Avar-period material heritage from this area on the basis of the
results provided by rescue excavations, systematic field surveys,
archival sources and earlier scholarly literature – together with
data from collections held in Croatian museums and museums
in neighbouring countries. Particular attention is devoted to the
critical reinterpretation of earlier finds and data that have often
been uncritically reproduced in various literary sources, without
providing clear insight into the original documentation, circumstances
of discovery, or degree of their reliability. Such an approach
has enabled a reassessment of previous attributions and
the inclusion of lesser-known, or previously unpublished, finds
into the scholarly discourse. The analysis of the collected data indicates that the territory of present-day Baranja had already
been settled in the early phase of Avar presence in the Pannonian
Basin. The spatial distribution of sites follows recognisable
patterns associated with natural geomorphological features
and communication routes within the landscape. The relationship
between Avar-period sites and the routes of Roman roads is
of particular significance, suggesting a continuity in using those
communication corridors, highlighting their geospatial importance,
and shaping networks of settlements and cemeteries. Although
the current state of research – characterised by a large
number of chance finds and, in some cases, still unpublished results
of more recent investigations – continues to limit the possibility
of creating more detailed interpretations, the results of
this study provide comprehensive insight into the distribution
and character of Avar-period material heritage in Baranja. This
paper also offers the first critical synthesis of Avar-period finds
and sites of the Baranja region, and revises previous understanding
of their distribution and context. In doing so, it positions this
area much more clearly within the broader Pannonian framework
of the Avar period, and opens up new possibilities for comparative
regional research.
Keywords
Baranja, Avar period, museum collections, bibliography, catalogue, sites, chance finds, collectors
Hrčak ID:
349903
URI
Publication date:
28.7.2026.
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