Archaeological Heritage in Hungary of the Mongol Conquest Period (1241–42)

Abstract

The article presents the latest results of studies of the events of the Mongol campaign against the Kingdom of Hungary in the Carpathian basin in 1241–42. Compared to the wealth of written sources, archaeology could not provide any serious evidence of the events of the Mongol campaign in Hungary for a long time. The only material evidence of the events of that time was the horizon of sporadic coin finds. However, for a long time there was no clear and reliable evidence of massacres and widespread destruction, which could be judged from the descriptions of contemporaries, often of an apocalyptic nature. Archaeology, studying the period of the Mongol campaigns, the youngest direction of Hungarian archaeology, which has become an independent discipline, and today is one of the most dynamically developing fields. However, it also has required a qualitative improvement in the applied approaches and methods. The full development of the archaeology of the Mongol conquest period is associated with the emergence of new sites as a result of recent targeted and planned studies.

Keywords

• archaeology
• hungary
• mongol campaign
• middle ages
• hoards
• eastern-type weapons
• defense ditch system
• geophysical methods