Achaeometrical Research in Hungary II., 1988

ENVIRONMENT - Levente FŰKÖH: The role of malacological examinations in arheology

of external factors. Understanding these factors microstratigraphical examinations became necessary. The vertebrate fauna of Csapás-tető Cave shows the influence of anthropogenic activity (KORDOS 1974). Additional examinations provided new results. In the „Neolithic level" (Atlantic phase) of Rejtek I. - rock shelter, malacological examinations showed the presence of steppe elements in a closed forest fauna. It is hardly justifiable with climatic influence (FŰKÖH 1988). It undoubtedly shows anthropogenic influence, since the simultaneously exposed vertebrate material is indicative of a characteristic, Neolithic closed forest environment. Anthropogenic influence was unambiguously shown by the analysis of changes in the Molluscan fauna from Kőlyuk II. (Jenő Hillebrand) Cave. Before following the aforementioned change, the succession of gastropod fauna exposed in the cave (FŰKÖH and KROLOPP 1985; FŰKÖH 1992) is worth presenting here. On the basis of the malacological material, the sequence can be divided into two sections. The first section included older sediments. This section can be divided into three subsections, on the basis of the relative frequencies of alternating species that prefer open spaces and the so called steppe elements respectively. Subsection I/a is the oldest part of the profile. The relative frequency of species indicative of open spaces is 80%, 50% of which was made up by Vallonia costata. Subsection I/b. The relative frequency of Vallonia costata decreases and the frequency of Chondrula tridens and Granaria frumentum increases. This is indicative of a change to an increasingly open and warm biotope, Subsection I/c is again characterised by the dominance of Vallonia costata. Section II is distinguished from the former section by the dominance of the forest species. We can also differentiate further subsections here. Subsection Il/a. Malacological material characteristic of a closed, humid forest (e. g. members of the Clausilidae, Zonitidae and Limacidae families) dominate here. Subsection Il/b. The proportion of Granaria frumentum and Vallonia costata grows by leaps and bounds. The cause of this phenomenon is the expansion of open areas at the expense of closed forests. This change can be ascribed to anthropogenic influences, also proven by a fireplace layer and archaeological finds. An ever increasing number of people must have lived here during the Neolithic, and they changed the environment by deforestation thereby effecting the microclimate. On the basis of 14C measurements, the fireplace layer was dated to 5985 +/- 60 BP. This datum corresponds well to those from similar localities (KORDOS 1974b; Fig. 1). In Hungary, this is the most remarkable evidence of prehistoric anthropogenic effect. Another example shows the opposite of this trend on the basis of malacological evidence. The examination of vertebrate and gastropodan faunas yielded contradictory results at the site of Nagy-oldal-shaft Cave (FŰKÖH 1978) in the Aggtelek-karst region. Among the vertebrate remains so-called „modern species", characteristic of the expanding agricultural territories appeared. By the appearance of these species one may conclude that wide open spaces existed in the area. The archaeological material as well as anthro pological finds verified that during the Bronze Age agricultural activities in the valley included cereal cultivation. However, while the sediment contained a vertebrate fauna preferring open spaces, the malacological materials included markers of a closed forest environment. Familiarity with the circumstances by which various creatures ended up in 208