The Avar People

The Vrap Treasure dates to around the 8th century CE, having been created and possessed by the Avar people. The Avars were a semi-nomadic people group who lived within close proximity to the Byzantine people, interacting with them often, but were not part of the empire itself; they were a sort of people that would often be somewhat inappropriately categorized as “barbarian”. The Avars’ society was scattered amongst the steppes of Central Europe, from Hungary to Austria, west of the heart of the Byzantine Empire, Constantinople. Vrap, where the Vrap Treasure was found, is actually fairly far south of the heart of the Avar’s territory.

The Avar people had a reputation for two things, for the most part- immense wealth and similarly great military power. These two traits were not unrelated, as military triumph was the means by which the Avars earned- and stole- most of their considerable wealth. The Avars were not Christianized, despite their nearness to what was arguably the Christian capital of the world in Constantinople, and this may have been a source of their conflict with the Byzantine world. They had a complex relationship with the Byzantine Empire, who they acted occasionally as allies to and occasionally as enemies of. While they would fight opponents of the Byzantine world when it proved beneficial for them to do so, such as the Franks in the sixth century, they would also later aim their powerful military strength at the same people that they had previously protected. This military strength came from the Avars’ usage of iron stirrups, which allowed them to become superior horsemen, reflex bows, and a particular style of lance; the latter two of these advancements allowed their mounted soldiers to overwhelm enemy armies with great success. The Avars fought well enough that the Franks actually seemed to believe that they fought using supernatural powers such as necromancy.

The military prowess of the Avars was not the only manner in which they were able to take from other powers, as their could be bought off. They would back down from fights when bribed to do so, as they were by the Franks. The Avars similarly would bargain with, and form complex relationships of cooperation and fear (with the Avars being the objects of the latter), with other tribes such as the Lombards and the Gepids.

In the 626 CE, the Avars launched an all-out assault alongside the Persians on their former allies in Constantinople, which failed, resulting in a massive blow to the Avar military and power structure that led to the dissolve of their power and influence. They practically vanish from the historical record due to lack of influence until the late eighth century after this point, and when they reappear, they do so as a much simpler and less militaristic group, who were then finally wiped out by Charlemagne’s forces in the beginning of the ninth century.