Matskási István (szerk.): A Magyar Természettudományi Múzeum évkönyve 94. (Budapest 2002)
Bernert, Zs., Csapó, J. ; Eszterhás, I.: Analysis of the anthropological material of Balatonederics Döme Cave
ANNALES HISTORICO-NATURALES MUSEI NATIONALIS HUNGARICI Volume 94 Budapest, 2002 pp. 227-235. Analysis of the anthropological material of Balatonederics Döme Cave Zs. BERNÉRT 1 , J. CSAPÓ 2 and I. ESZTERHÁS 3 'Department of Anthropology, Hungarian National History Museum H-1082 Budapest, Ludovika tér 2. Hungary. E-mail: bernert@ant.nhmus.hu 2 University of Kaposvár, Faculty of Animal Sciences, Department of Biochemistry and Foodstuff Chemistry, H-7400 Kaposvár, Guba S. u. 40. Hungary. E-mail: csapo@atk.kaposvar.pate.hu 3 H-8045 Isztimér, Köztársaság út 157. Abstract - Döme Cave is located close to Balatonederics, to the north of Lake Balaton. When charting the cave, human skeletal remains, animal bones, and an earthenware spoon were discovered, beyond a considerable number of dripstone formations. We managed to establish, that the human remains found in Balatonederics Döme Cave were those of a 15-20 years old, young adult man. Amino acid racemisation processes established, that this individual must have lived about 4500-4100 years ago. The possibility of some closer link between the neolithic earthenware vessel (Lengyel-culture) and the skeleton was also taken into consideration. The analysis of chronological age produced results that supported this assumption. With 4 figures. Key words - Physical anthropology, human skeletal remains, neolithic, Lengyel-culture, amino acid racemisation, D-aspartic acid, D-glutamic acid. INTRODUCTION Döme Cave is located close to Balatonederics, to the north of Lake Balaton (Fig. 1). When charting the cave, human skeletal remains, animal bones, and an earthenware spoon were discovered, beyond a considerable number of dripstone formations. The earthenware spoon was sent to the Laczkó D. Museum of Veszprém back in 1989. Archeological analysis was carried out on it, and it was classified as an object of Lengyel-culture. The human bones and the spoon probably did belong together, as they were uncovered from almost the same layer, but no un-equivocal solution can ever be produced for this problem, because of the lack of accurate documentation of the exploration. The speleologist ISTVÁN ESZTERHÁS has sent the human remains and the animal bones to the Hungarian Natural History Museum's Department of Anthropology for detailed analysis in 2000.
