1,300-year-old armor — with bow, arrows and sword — found under war horse remains
Toward the end of the seventh century, a warrior — dressed in a full set of armor — was buried beneath his horse in what is now Hungary.
For the last 1,300 years, his burial has stayed hidden. That is until November, when archaeologists were exploring the outskirts of Ebes, a village in eastern Hungary, and discovered the remains of a horse.
Beneath the horse bones, they found the warrior’s ancient burial, according to a Feb. 1 news release from the Déri Museum.
The armor was equipped with a wooden quiver holding arrows, a bow and a sword, archaeologists said. Archaeologists didn’t say if human remains were excavated from the burial.
Photos shared by the museum in a Jan. 31 Facebook post show the discovery on display.
The findings mark only the second time a complete and intact set of lamellar armor has been discovered, officials said. Lamellar armor is a style of armor that was used by ancient warriors.
City officials from Debrecen — which is located less than 10 miles northeast of Ebes — shared footage of the armor and weapons on Facebook.
Archaeologists believe the armor belonged to an Avar warrior from the end of the seventh century.
The Avar were people from Mongolia who established an empire in the region between the Adriatic and Baltic seas spanning the sixth and eight centuries, according to Britannica. They warred with other large empires, nearly occupying Constantinople in 626. By 805, the Avar submitted to Charlemagne, the first emperor of what became the Holy Roman Empire.
Google Translate and Facebook were used to translate a news release and Facebook post from the Déri Museum and a Facebook post from the city of Debrecen.
This story was originally published February 1, 2024 at 2:31 PM with the headline "1,300-year-old armor — with bow, arrows and sword — found under war horse remains."
