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

to the framework of the National Museum, later on between 1947-1951 he became the head of the Geological and Palaeontological Department of the Natural History Museum. These years are hallmarked by the re-starting of the Istállóskő excavations, organisation of modern exhibitions, both in contents and realisation. In 1951, the Palaeolithic collection of the Geological Institute was transferred to the Hungarian National Museum, and the management of the enlarged collection, multiplied in quantity as well as scientific value was trusted on László Vértes. He served as curator of the collection till his death in 1968. His route to prehistoric archaeology was varied, rich in obstacles and by-passes. The difficulties set by official policy or poverty induced him to constant self-education. Though he did not boast about his informal education, he never denied that he got his scientific degrees - first, Candidate's degree, later on, in 1965 Doctoral degree of the Academy, by self-training. This fact was a valuable asset to science: he was never stopped by professional doctrines, and preserved his readiness to renew his knowledge till the end of his life. He established new ideas, new aspects in excavation methodology, scientific elaboration, presentation for public in exhibitions and popular scientific works. His interest in the events of the Ice Age and palaeontological background rooted in speleology. By the end of the fifties, however, his activity reached full complexity, started to excavate open-air sites as well. In 1958-59, he continued the excavation of Tata-Porhanyóbánya started by Tivadar Kormos and the result of scientific elaboration of the site is a monograph awarded with special prize of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. Since 1962, when the geographer Márton Pécsi brought news about the Vértesszó'lős Palaeolithic site, most of his time was consecrated to the Vértesszőlős Lower Palaeolithic site: organisation of the work, excavation, in modern terms, PR management (i.e., convincing authorities about moral and financial support), receiving research workers from Hungary and abroad, writing studies and making study trips to get more information on the so-far unparalleled material. He died following the first phase of the great work, by the end of the excavations, and the publication of the monograph dealing with the site and the finds remained a task for the successors and colleagues. His scientific activity is preserved in several books, monographs, studies. Among them, his popular scientific books „Chronicle of the Cave-Bear Men" (Medveemberek krónikája), on the Istállóskő excavations and „Pebble Path" (Kavics ösvény), a chronicle of the Vértesszőlős excavations can be a memorable reading for those persons as well who are not at home in the labyrinth of technical literature of Palaeolithic archaeology. 64