Kisné Cseh Julianna – Somorjai József szerk.: Komárom – Esztergom Megyei Múzeumok Közleményei 5. (Tata, 1997)

T. Dobosi Viola: The Old Stone Age in Komárom-Esztergom County

The Old Stone Age in Komárom-Esztergom County Viola T. Dobosi Komárom-Esztergom County plays an important role in the research of the Palaeolithic from Hungary. This has more reasons, and each of them can be attributed to the fortunate coincidence of the following factors: - optimal bio-geographycal endowments: 1. its varied surface - the medium height mountains and loess covered hills, as well as the plains - offers an ecological niche and together with this it offers the varied plunder of varied living-spaces on a rather restricted area; 2. on the sides of the limestone and dolomite cliffs there are favourably situated habitable pits and caves that open on large plains or valleys; 3. in the first place on the bank of the Danube, but on the inner parts of the county as well, there are areas that are not far from the surface and are covered with only a few metres of glacial drift or loess, so the provenances covered in this way are easily accessible; 4. in front of the Dömös gate, which is confined by abbrupt cliffs, the quick currencts of the Danube formed several natural fords which provided natural routes for the herds and the hunters as well; 5. in the early stages of the glacial period due to the active karst-spring activity on the slopes of the mountains many finds were ideally embedded and conserved; 6. a lot good quality of raw material are known from many places of the county. For the recognition of the favourable bio-geographical potentials and for the exploitation of the archeological possibilities implied in them fortunately there always existed the necessary - human resources: 1. professionals in the field of the different branches of human sciences and natural sciences; 2. as well as a lot of untiring local citizens who know the region very well have been carrying out research work for Paleolithic findspots for nearly 100 years. In our paper we are going to present about 50 findspots from the vicinity of 22 settlements. Findspots from nearly all periods of the old stone age are known. From the lower Palaeolithic the most important Vértesszőlős, from the middle Palaeolithic Tata, Szelim and the Jankovich cave and from the upper Palaeolithic there is a whole string of findspots from Mogyorósbánya to Dömös. We are convinced that the western and the southern parts of the county are still hiding important findspots. If we find them and explore them in the near future, they will furnish many important data. 22