A seal ring from Végegyháza, Hungary

Abstract

Due to the cooperation of civilians and professionals in the Orosháza Museum, Hungary, the number of seal rings found in various archaeological sites and sent to the museum during the metal-detecting activity exceeds 1000 pieces. In this paper, we would like to present a fragmentary ring which was found near to today’s Végegyháza (Békés County), on the territory of the medieval Pereg. The settlement had been established near to the region’s river, called Száraz-ér, along the road leading to the Maros (now Arad). The ring belongs to a horizon of the 12th–13th centuries, and it can be dated to the era before the Tartar invasion, to the beginning of the 13th century. The significant part of the rings found in the neighborhood of Orosháza is linked to the areas of the Balkans, once the Byzantine Empire, so the local settlements’ and material culture’s history should be examined in accordance with these regions.

Keywords

• seal ring
• lily
• medieval
• hungary
• metal-detecting