Fülöp Éva – Cseh Julianna szerk.: „Die aktuellen Fragen des Mittelpaläolithikums in Mitteleuropa”. „Topical issues of the research of Middle Palaeolithic period in Central Europe”. Tata, 20-23 October 2003. (Tudományos Füzetek 12. Tata, 2004)
Jan Michal Burdukiewicz–Andrzej Wisniewski: New Evidence of Middle Palaeolithic in South Poland
of the Weichselian glaciation). The artefacts formed an uneven arrangement with observable concentrations having the nature of anthropogenic clusters. Artefacts originating from these clusters subsequently could be refitted into blocks. The largest of them contained 48 specimens. The area around the lithic material produced finds of highly fragmented bone and teeth of game fauna, representing the mammoth, Mammuthus primigenius, and horse, Equus sp. During the 2002 investigation of the eastern area of surface I/02 uncovered a concentration of bone remains of two bisons (Bison priscus) (information from K. Stefániák). This accumulation was possibly linked to human activity. Preliminary palynological analysis of the silty mud layer (information from T. Kuszell) helped to determine plant species composition typical for open plant communities. The set of artefacts recovered in 2000-2002 includes 581 specimens, 15 of them tools. Except for a handful, the artefacts were fashioned from erratic Baltic flint. A number of isolated hammer stones from coarse-grained crystalline rock were also discovered. Material used in production included large lumps, and their fragments originating from the disintegration of blocks of erratic flint. It is unclear whether this fragmentation was the result of accidental disintegration caused by a blow, or of intentional activity. In the discussed case no evidence was found of testing the raw material such as was observed on the lower level, it is unclear nevertheless, whether this phenomenon had a functional basis or was dictated by a different technological approach. The content of the cultural artefact concentration indicates that at least two types of flint working were used. One of the smaller clusters (with an area of around 0,8 m 2 ) represents the remains from the reduction of two small cores. One of these, after its striking platform and the flaked surface had been shaped, was taken out of the investigated area. The other cluster, the largest of the studied ones so far (with an area of 2 m 2 —some 160 artefacts) contained traces of tool production using the shaping method (fig. 13.). One of the tool fragments as well as a part of the concretion were most probably taken outside the area excavated so far. An area some distance away from the two flint concentrations produced a tool with a fitting fragment of a chip, indicating attempted retouch. The rest of the area was found to contain other, smaller, concentrations, containing up to 30 artefacts. Unfortunately, the western part of the excavated area had suffered substantial damage as a result of dislocations of unstable banding and excavation, causing gaps in our understanding of the way the site was exploited during the Middle Palaeolithic. Basing on the material, especially the refitted blocks, it is possible —despite the fairly small selection of artefacts —to determine the main lines of tool production. The first of them involved modification of flake blank. Flakes were obtained using methods lacking evidence of application of advanced preparation techniques. The technique of hard hammer was used. Methods used included: centripetal unifacial, atypical unidirectional and bidirectional, as well as multidirectional cores. The obtained debitage was small sized. The flake tools are mostly marginally retouched, being represented by denticulated pieces or notched tools, side scrapers as well as retouched flakes and blades. The other line of flint working was associated with 141
