Viola T. Dobosi: Paleolithic Man in the Által-ér Valley (Tata, 1999)

Thus the new sites can be easily fit into the existing series, which means an at least relative, chronology. The finds obtained from the same layer as the fauna is obviously contemporary in its age. Here let us say a few words about the discussion regarding the age of the Vértesszőlős finds which can be interesting even for the general public less initiated to professional arts. How old is the Vértesszólős site? Let us lay it down as a principle that for archaeologists age is not the only or primary aspect for evaluating a site, Mat is, one site is not necessarily more important than the other just because of its age. The exact age of the Vértesszólős human settlement had been a subject of debate since the discovery of the site. Different chronological data obtained by physical and chemical methods and the relation of the finds to the layers dated by the above evidence allowed the expression of extreme opinions. Different measurements and estimations places the age of the Vértesszőlős site among wide boundaries even for the experts accustomed to temporal dimensions of the Palaeolithic, between 200 and 400 thousand years. It is taken for certain, however, that the Vértesszőlős Early Man settlement was formed in a warm-up period of the second, Mindel glaciation. The proofs for this include geomorphological, palaeontological, palaeobotanical evidence. How many thousands of year ago ? The exact dating for this second glaciation tenned Mindel Fig. 7. Vértesszőlős, leafprints in Central Europe can differ by the analyses of different samples investigated in different laboratories. To express it in our technical jargon, the relative chronological position of the site is exactly known (it can be fit into the chronological scheme set on the basis of a large number of sites), its absolute chronological position (i.e., the age of the site expressed in years) can be given only among broad limits. The calcareous tuff is extremely rich in plant fossils. There were several thousand prints of leaves and fruits, and the pollen remains preserved data on the vegetation from the environs of the springs till the foothill slopes. Deducing from the demands for light, water and temperature of identical or related plants living today it was ascertained that in the time of the existence of the settlements of early men there was a milder, warmer climate here and the January mean temperature did not sink below - 3 C°. The rich and variable flora, starting from the small 25