Historical Background
The Avars were an enigmatic nomadic people who ruled Central and Eastern Europe for 250 years from the mid-6th century. Known for their fierce mounted warriors, they terrorized the Byzantine Empire. However, due to a lack of written records, the Avars' history and culture remain shrouded in mystery.
DNA Analysis
In recent years, scientists have used ancient DNA to unravel more secrets about the Avars, including their origins, family structures, social lives, and interactions with local populations.
Origins and Ancestry
A 2022 study analyzed DNA from the graves of Avar elites, revealing that they originated from the Mongolian steppe and migrated to Europe after their defeat by the Türks in 550 AD.
Family Structures and Inheritance
DNA analysis from 424 individuals buried in four Hungarian cemeteries allowed researchers to construct detailed genealogies, with the largest lineage spanning nine generations over 250 years. They found that around 300 closely related individuals were buried in the same cemetery.
Analysis indicated that the Avars had a patrilineal kinship system, where children belonged to their father's family and lineage was passed down from father to son.
Marriage Patterns and Exogamy
Interestingly, Avar women often married men from other communities, while Avar men tended to stay within their community after marriage. This suggests that women played a crucial role in connecting Avar communities.
The study also found that both men and women in Avar society frequently had children with multiple partners, likely due to polygyny (men having multiple wives) or serial monogamy (marrying multiple times, each time to only one spouse).
Incest and Kinship
In addition, several instances were found of closely related males fathering children with the same woman, indicating that they accepted some degree of incestuous mating.
Gender Roles
While DNA cannot fully inform about gender roles in Avar society, men's graves were typically found with high-status grave goods such as horses, saddles, and bridles, leading archaeologists to believe that women played an important role in maintaining social cohesion and transmitting culture.
Archaeological Legacy
To date, around 100,000 Avar graves have been excavated, forming an important part of Europe's archaeological heritage. The Avars left a lasting legacy on Europe, credited with introducing the stirrup to the continent â€" a transformative technology that made mounted warfare viable and was later adopted widely.