Folia archeologica 53.
Alfréd Dulai: Late Palaeolithic Fossil Collectors: Small Piles of Molluscs at Szob (Börzsöny Mts, North-Hungary)
LAU- I'AI.AKOI.ITHIC Coi.UX TORS 25 With the exception of the subrecent fluvial Unio sp., all of the determined specimens derived from Middle Miocene (Badenian) sedimentary formations. All of these normal marine species are known from the famous palaeontological locality situated between Szob and Ipolydamásd, in the old sandpit, on ihe left bank of the Ipoly river, where the Damásd stream crosses the high road between the above mentioned villages. The fossils of the yellowish-grey sand were already studied from the mid-nineteenth century. After some smaller papers the mollusc fauna was studied monographically by Ilona Csepreghy-Meznerics: she mentioned a total number of 267 gastropod and 74 bivalve species. 7 Recently the taxonomic composition and the paleoecological characters of the bivalve fauna was studied by Dulai. 8 No traces of manufacturing can be observed on the gastropod, bivalve and scaphopod specimens found in the archaeological site, however, the fossil shells bear several traces of attacks of predator gastropods (eg. naticids and muricids) and other marine organisms. 9 16 Turritella badensis specimens wear signs of drilling gastropod activity (one specimen with two boreholes, while an other Turritella specimen was successful: the boring is unfinished). Eight Turritella erronea, one Polinices redemptus and two Genota connectens florae show also drill holes. Some specimens were attacked by worms (three Turritella badensis, a Polinices redemptus and an Ancilla glandiformis), while several specimens serve as home of clionid sponges (two Glycymeris pilosa deshayesi, Glycymeris sp., Polinices redemptus and one Ancilla glandiformis and Conus subraristriatus). Some larger specimens were drilled by boring bivalves. Several specimens show regeneration traces of mechanical injuries (2 'Turritella erronea, 9 Turritella badensis, 1 Drillia allionii). The 2-3 dozens of Cerithium, mentioned by Horváth, 1 0 are absent in the studied material; they may have been lost during the last decades or the very common Turritella genus was determined erroneously as Cerithium. Besides the piles of molluscs and the absence of manufacturing traces, the taxonomic composition of the studied material refer also to selection bv the prehistoric people. The bivalves are predominated by large and thick-shelled species (Glycymeris, Pelecyora), while the most common bivalve genus of the palaeontological locality (Corbula) is absolutely missing, because it is a small-sized form and not so decorative. About 85% of the bivalve specimens belonged to the Corbulidae in a representative washed material of this locality. 1 1 The thick-shelled, spectacular, ornamented and not so fragile species are common at the gastropods, too. Hungarian Natural History Museum Department of Geology and Palaeontology H-143ÏBudapest POP 137 e-mail: dulai@nhmus.hu ? CSKI>RK(;HY-MK/.NI:RK:S, 1956. » DUL AI, 1996. " S К к.: GÖ RÖI .-S OMODY , 1988. '« DOBOSI-VÁRI, 1997. il D LLAI . 1996
