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

Fig. 29. Tooth of a juvenile mammoth (hunted game) debris for several decades was straightened up by the Gymnasium and under the artificial level formed this way the original quarry yard looks like a ditch. The two metres wide, flat aperture is widening into an irregular flat cavity. Between the two horizontal limestone layers we can find the sandy-Ioessy loose sediment containing the archaeological finds. The narrow space did not allow a traditional archaeological excavation with exact documentation. According to the testimony of the original excavation photos, the interiors of the cave were washed out by fire-hose. The original layer sequence can be reconstructed on the basis of the test-wall left by Vértes from the original sediments. This test-wall has, unfortunately, crashed down to considerable degree in the past few years. Curious visitors cannot resist the temptation of the cavities and leave many objects there which has no place here. Apart from making an injury to the scientific evidence by destroying and pollution the finds and their environment, they are also facing life danger because any time some blocks of calcareous tuff can get loose and fall off the ceiling. During the excavation of László Vértes, the uncertain cover was supported by columns set of mine logs during the working period. It was worth the effort: finds far surpassing in number and value that of the former excavation were found. The finds were published in a bulky monograph. The multi-disciplinary problematics raised by the site was dived into by a range of specialists lead by the excavator, László Vértes. Tata is the site of contradictions. Within the fossil evidence we find species tolerating cold climate and some definitely preferring warm climate. Among the plant remains we find mosses and water plants, herbs and wood-forming arboreal species. The most frequent game was the mammoth, however the size of the biggest tools used for working leather hardly exceeded 3 cm (!). In selecting a date for determining the chronological position of the site, we can chose from dates ranging between 33 thousand and 100 thousand years. Some of these contradictions can be resolved, some can not. We cannot explain, 52