Chieftains galloping even in death
Exhibition of the Year 2014
MúzeumCafé 49.
To show as many objects as possible, provide the most possible information in a a way that it would not be overwhelming, but spectacular, trendy, authentic and even humorous – that is how the leading principles of the exhibition The Elite – the Richest Cemeteries from the Period of the Hungarian Conquest in the Carpathian Basin in the Herman Ottó Museum, Miskolc, can be summarised. The display presents the findings of a well-known site of the Hungarian Conquest, explored in the cemeteries of Karos in the Bodrogköz region. It was well timed – a month after the Hungarian National Museum opened its exhibition The Carpathian Basin in the period of the Carolingian Empire and the Hungarian Conquest [see MúzeumCafé ??]. The title is a rather well captured comparison: indeed the wealth and type of the graves excavated near Karos indicate that it was the leaders of the period who were buried here. Although locals discovered the first special findings in 1899, professional excavation of the graves had to wait for a long time. The hoard in itself is extremely valuable and spectacular. Yet the curators decided not to dress the items in silks and satins, but make them interpretable in several contexts, with reference also to their artistic and historical value. Turning away from the tradition of ‘casket’, ‘wonder’ and ‘treasure chamber’, they used a new approach in the field of Hungarian archaeological exhibitions. The heritage of the chieftains was somewhat deprived of its sacramental feature, but due to the method of exhibiting them the objects represent stories which may play an important role in understanding the age and in future archaeology. Museum professionals highly valued the exhibition – in May 2015 it was awarded the ‘Exhibition of the Year 2014’ prize. The curators of the exhibition give all help to contemplate on the past.