Pages: 179-194
The prestige item, as social symbol, and its concept has been present since the first social structures, since the leader or the leading elite was inclined to signal and symbolise their distinct status. The term ‘prestige goods’ refers to high-value luxury items, while the prestige items of the 10th century were related to the use of weapons. These prestige items have to be integrated in the symbolical communication devices through the “funerary horizon” of a group status and delivered the powerful visual statements of identity and visualising power. However, we have to make a quantitative distinction between finds in small and large quantities. The small quantity of “Group A” may indicate that these can be integrated into the visual communication system of a smaller group and in a period characterized by “competitive”, loose structures could indirectly symbolize the individual’s, mostly the warrior’s, chief’s, man’s etc. often temporary status (big-men). The chorological analyses draw attention to the fact that only a part of them is concentrated in a specific “Core Region” (Upper Tisa valley).
The distribution of the finds that can be called prestige goods indicate that the occupation of the Carpathian Basin, the conquest of the area, and the populations found here, and the structural integration of their elites, can be roughly interpreted as a political process in the direction of N → S, or N → SE, N → SW, from the upper elite to the lower layers of society.
Keywords: prestige goods, funerary context, 10th century, partial horse burials, conquest
Information about authors:
Erwin Gáll (Bucharest, Romania). Doctor of History. Institute of Archaeology “Vasile Pârvan”. Henri Coandă St., 11, Bucharest, RO-010667, Romania
E-mail: [email protected]
ORCID: 0000-0002-5923-3461
Florin Mărginean (Arad, Romania). Doctor of History. Museum Complex of Arad. Piaţa George Enescu, 1, Arad, RO-310131, Romania
E-mail: [email protected]
ORCID: 0000-0002-5601-807X