SIGNIFICANT RESULTS OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESEARCH THE PAST 30 YEARS ON THE MONGOL INVASION (1241—42) IN MEDIEVAL HUNGARIAN KINGDOM: ВАЖНЕЙШИЕ РЕЗУЛЬТАТЫ АРХЕОЛОГИЧЕСКИХ ИССЛЕДОВАНИЙ ПОСЛЕДНИХ 30 ЛЕТ, ПОСВЯЩЕННЫХ МОНГОЛЬСКОМУ НАШЕСТВИЮ (1241—42) В СРЕДНЕВЕКОВОМ ВЕНГЕРСКОМ КОРОЛЕВСТВЕ

TL;DR

The article reviews 30 years of archaeological research showing that the 1241–42 Mongol invasion of the Kingdom of Hungary, long attested mainly by written sources, is now directly evidenced at multiple excavated sites. It highlights mass-casualty horizons, burnt settlements, fortified churches, treasure hoards, and a lowland fort system of more than 100 sites, especially in the Kiskunság.

Key findings

• Direct archaeological evidence now includes anomalously positioned or unburied skeletons, burnt buildings, weapons, coins, and treasure hoards at sites such as Cegléd, Orosháza-Bónum, Dunaföldvár, Szank, Kiskunmaja, Tázlár, Csanádpalota, and Abaújvár. Reported counts include 23 burnt buildings and 22 individuals at Orosháza-Bónum, 33 individuals at Dunaföldvár, 34 individuals at Szank (17 women and 17 children), and at least 34 individuals at Kiskunmaja (15 children, 16 adult women, 3 men).
• In the Kiskunság, recent interdisciplinary settlement-history research indicates that destruction of settlements with churches during the Mongol invasion reached 90–100% in some parts. The authors also recognize a system of lowland forts comprising more than 100 sites, built up from necessity in 1241.
• Tázlár-Templomhegy and Szank-Kápolnahely are described as the best-researched Mongol sites in Hungary, with fortified churches, triple or double ditch systems, siege traces, western and eastern weapons, perimortem combat injuries, and coins or treasure finds dating the atrocities.
• At Kiskunmaja, human bones showed deliberate cutting/flaying interpreted as evidence of starvation anthropophagy mentioned in written sources; at Csanádpalota, a harnessed horse was found buried alone in accordance with Eastern custom.

Methods

• The article is a synthesis/review of archaeological research over the past 30 years, drawing on excavations, large-scale infrastructure projects, targeted research, and published site reports.
• Data come from Árpád-era settlements, churches, fortifications, burials, artefact assemblages, coin hoards, and anthropological analyses, concentrated especially in the Kiskunság and other Hungarian locations.
• Main analysis compares destruction horizons, artefact dating, spatial distribution of weapons and dead, and integration with written sources; technical tools mentioned include geophysical methods, drone photography, metal detectors, and IT programmes.

Limitations

• The paper states that archaeology long lacked clear, direct evidence of the invasion and that finds were sparse; many sites provide indirect evidence such as burnt buildings and hidden valuables rather than direct proof.
• The paper states that the Tázlár excavation series is still ongoing and has yet to fully investigate the phenomena, and that deep ploughing at Kiskunmaja significantly destroyed features.
• Evident from the text: the article is a synthesis/review rather than a systematic quantitative study, and many interpretations rely on coin dating, artefact assemblages, and contextual association with 1241–42.