Folia archeologica 49-50.

Kovács Tibor: A múltat idézve, előre tekintve emlékezzünk! 200 éves a Magyar Nemzeti Múzeum

EX PROBOSCIDEIS 25 at the same time required much care and attention. We can possibly regard it as a prestige object. Associated fauna: the site is the eponyme locality for the Middle Würm fauna wave. In both Aurignacian layers of the site, Mammuthus primigenius bones occurred only in elaborated form, i.e., as artefacts. Beside them, in both Aurignacian layers the ratio of Rupicapra exceeded 50%, completed by Cervidae (Cervus

, Rangifer, Alces), Ursus spelaeus, and the steppean Equus and Bison with beasts of prey of the deciduous forests, Canis, Vulpes

1

3 Archaeological finds: Among the two Aurignacian layers of the Istálllóskő cave, the lower one yielded the mammoth tusk stab. Its leading tool type was the split base bone point (31 items). The lithic inventory is poor and atypical compared to average open-air Aurignacian sites. Among the 26 stone artefacts we can find scrapers, end-scrapers and retouched blades. The leading finds of the younger Aurignacian level was the Mladec type bone point. From both Aurignacian levels of the cave, the carene-museau-busque type forms were missing. ESZTERGOM-GYURGYALAG Chronology: C 14 date BP: Deb 1160. 16 160 ± 200 Cal. BC: 17 329 (17 100) 16 890 Settlement: Situated on the first Würm terrace above the alluvial terrace of the Danube in loess, at the depth of 140 cm details of an Upper Palaeolithic settlement were excavated on a surface of 13x11 meters. The borders of the settlement patches are not sharp, the intensity of the cultural layer is variable, and the heavily burnt loess under the two patches of hearth indicate permanent fire, i.e. longer settlement. Description, anatomical position and technology of production Inv. nr.: Pb 99/391 retouched, pierced tool (shovel?) formed of mammoth tibi

a diaphysis (Fig. 4). Fragmented piece. Size (measurable) length: 400 mm, 75 mm wide and the bone is 23 mm thick. The artefact was thinned by distal retouch at the distal end and asymmetrically pointed. The proximal end is broken, deficient. The hole was deepened by carving (grooved) according to the observation of I. Vörös by opening four holes of cca. 10 mm into one. The lateral-medial diameter of the hole is 25 mm. Function: most probably used like a hoe with a shaft fit in the hole. Associated fauna: Ec/uus germanicus, Rangifer tarandus and Mammuthus primigenius (apart from the tool, some bone fragments). While the two species mentioned first were the most frequent, typical games of the period, the mammoth finds were already very rare in the Carpathian Basin. Bones of mammoth, their acquistion and occurrence on the settlement raise a number of questions: were the bones actually belonging to the contemporary fauna, obtained by hunting or collected from river drifts, already in fossil state? The contradiction between the faunistical data and archaeological chronology cannot be solved by archaeological methods: 14-C data and the archaeological dating of the site are in good agreement, the mammoth bone is an authentic element of the find assemblage. Archaeological material associated: the lithic industry of the site is probably the most beautiful Hungarian Late Palaeolithic material. From a topographical and chronological aspect, the site is an organic member of the chain of settlements l

s Vörös 1984