Folia archeologica 38.

Viola T. Dobosi - István Vörös: A Pilisszántó I. sz. kőfülke revíziója

FOLIA ARCHAEOLOGICA XXXVIU. 1987. BUDAPEST AN AUROCHS (BOS PRIMIGENIUS BO J.) SKELETON FROM THE MESOLITHIC PEAT-BOGS AT KECEL-RÓZSABEREK ISTVÁN VÖRÖS 1. Introduction The peat-bogs in Hungary (Szabadszállás and Kecel in the Danube-Tisza Interfluve; Mezőlak and Nádasdladány in Transdanubia) are relatively rich in aurochs remains

1. The great number of skulls, horn-cores and postcranial bones found on these sites afford a possibility to study the microevolution of Mesolithic-Early Holocene animal populations. Aurochs is one of the most relevant large herbivores in the wild animal fauna of Hungary. It was an animal suitable for domestication and was the wild ancestor of domesticated cattle. Studies carried out on aurochs remains are useful in pin-pointing the first appearance of the animal in the Holocene and in distinguishing Early Holocene aurochs from Pleistocene and Late Neolithic specimens. A part of the Kecel-Rózsaberek aurochs remains has been already published by Sándor Bökönyi together with the measurements of the Órjeg finds

2. The study of the Kecel-Rózsaberek aurochs skeleton is extremely relevant because this skeleton is the single most complete Holocene aurochs skeleton known so far from E— SE Europe. Aurochs skeletons are usually rarely found. The only published finds from Europe are: a bull from the Iberian Peninsula

3 and two cows and two bulls from the Nordic area

1. The study of these skeletons offers valuable data for the reconstruction of somatic proportions, allometry, sexual dimorphism and changes in size dimensions, the last is determined by climate. 2. Material 2.1. Site of the aurochs skeleton The aurochs skeleton was found in 1964 in the Rózsaberek field, to the NW of the village of Kecel (Danube-Tisza Interfluve, Bács-Kiskun county) during 1 Bökönyi 1962a.; Bökönyi 1972; Krolopp- Vörös 1982. 2 Bökönyi 1972. 3 Altima 1974. 4 Degerbol 1970, 9., 10., 13 14.; Ekman 1972.