Archaeology of the Early medieval Nomads in Italy: the Horse-Burials from South-Central Italy

The author in this volume edited by C. Balint and hosting the acts of a Symposium held in the Accademia d'Ungheria in November 1993 in Rome entitled Kontakte between Iran, Bysanz und der Steppe im 6.-7. Jahrhundert, is dealing with a special type of burials of the early middle age: the horse graves. Taking the occasion of the symposium the author is dealing with a short history of the main important of such finds in east Europe and in Asia from VII century AD, including the sensational discovery in Italy, in Molise of the first horse graves in Vicenne in a Lombard age cemetery. This find is particularly important because, both for the uniqueness of this type, and basically for the presence of cast iron stirrups of Avarian Age and datable to the 7th century. This date is much earlier than the usual dating of other finding of such objects in Europe, before considered datable back only to the Charles the Great period.