 Both the scarcity of published archaeological material and the misdating of some sites may have contributed to the low number of archaeological sites that can be attributed to the Hungarians in the steppes , according to archaeologist László Kovács . Kovács also says that the Hungarians ' migration from the steppes and their settlement in the Carpathian Basin may have caused the development of a new material culture , rendering the identification of pre @-@ conquest Hungarians difficult . Archaeological research has demonstrated that the material culture of the Avars and other steppe peoples who settled in the Carpathian Basin before the Hungarians experienced a similarly significant change after they left the steppes and settled in their new homeland . 
