A CEMETERY OF THE HUNS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXX, Issue 9367, 25 November 1893, Page 2 (Supplement)

A CEMETERY OF THE HUNS.

Further investigation has shown that the 500 Huns' graves, discovered by the dean and parish priest of A par, near Cziko, in the county of Tolna, South Hungary, were evidently not those of men who had fallen on the battlefield, as was at first believed. They formed the regular burying-ground of a colony of Huns, as the skeletons of women and children outnumbererd those of men. In many cases the remains of a man and wife are found in the same grave side by side ; but where children are buried with the mother they are placed across her breast. The graves are very narrow and are seven to ten feet deep. They are arranged (says the Vienna correspondent of the Standard) in regular rows, and the remains, which are without coffins, lie on the back, the feet being turned towards the east and the heads towards the west. In seven graves, probably those of warrior chiefs, the remains of horses have been found buried with their owners, with their harness complete, and adorned with silver or bronze work. On the skeletons of these chiefs a number of very skilfully-made ornaments have been discovered, including, for instance, belts of silver and bronze. The weapons are knives, arrow-heads, threeedged javelins, spear-points, and axes. Several of these chiefs held in their left hands Roman coins belonging to the end of the fourth century. Among the food found in the graves there were a number of eggs with shells still unbroken. Equally interesting is the fact that in several graves a Roman stilus was found, showing that the Huns of that period were more cultured than had hitherto been believed. One of these stili was artistically made of silver, and richly ornamented. It was found in the hand of a woman, with a wax tablet close by, ready to be written on. Nearly all the women have massive gold ear-rings, fibula?, and arm bands, besides knives, hand glasses, and various ornaments I oi silver, amber, bronze, and glass.