Folia archeologica 53.

Alfréd Dulai: Late Palaeolithic Fossil Collectors: Small Piles of Molluscs at Szob (Börzsöny Mts, North-Hungary)

S

KELETAL HARISOK NU FOSSU AUROCHS (

B

OS PRIMK.ENIIS BOJ.) 29 The height of spinosus processus was measured along the anterior margin f rom the inferior (lower) side to the upper end of the proc. spin. The corpus of the proc. spin is elongated cranio-caudally, and greater rearward incline. The height of the proc. spin, is gradually decreasing from the 2

n

d to the 12

t

h (440-160 mm). The cranio-caudal length of the proc. spin, measured at the middle of the corpus is gradually decreasing from the I

м to 12'

1' (58-22 mm). The upper ends of the proc. spin of the 3

r

d and 7

,l

l-9

,

b vertebrae are widening, that of the 10

t

h-12

t

h vertebrae are getting thinner. The greatest breadth across the proc. transversales craniales is decreasing from l

s

l to 11

t

h (130—104 mm), that of the 12

,

h is widening again (125 mm). The greatest height of the fac. term, cranialis and caudalis from the l

s

l to ]9Ui vertebrae are gradually decreasing (cran.: 52—36 mm, caud.: 51-39 mm). All of the thoracic vertebrae have fused at the cranial and caudal epiphyses. The animal was an adultus, about 10-15 years old. The exostoses of senile age could not be observed vet. The dimensions of the dorsal vertebrae are listed in Table 1. Comparing the I-IV. dorsal vertebrae of the Egervár aurochs to the same bones of the Nagybajom fossil aurochs we can observe that the longitudinal and transversal dimensions of the latter are bigger but the height of the proc. spin, is smaller than that of the Egervár specimen (

JÁNOSSY-VÖRÖS 1981). LUMBAR VERTEBRAE (I-VI., Inv. nr.: 59.12.2., Fig. 2.4) The row of lumbar vertebrae of the aurochs from Egervár is complete, there are 6 lumbar vertebrae found. Bos, in general, has 6 lumb.verts., while the Bison normally has only 5 lumb. verts. (DEGERB0L-INVERSEN 1945.). In this case, the right side proc. transversuses of the 2

n

d and 3

r

d lumb. verts, are broken, missing; the 6

t

h vertebra is injured. The frontal edge of the 2

n

d lumb. vert. proc. spin, is injured, the proc. spin, tips and the corpuses of the 3

r

d and 5

,

H lumb. verts, are injured and missing. Ehe physiological length of the lumbar vertebrae of the Egervár aurochs (I—VI.) is 460 mm. Among them, the longest one is the 5

1'

1 vertebra (76 mm). The greatest height of the vertebrae is gradually decreasing from the I

s' to the 6

t

h (188—143 mm). The height of the proc. spin is gradually decreasing from the I

м to 6th (120-73 mm). The breadth of the complete proc. transversus is 123 mm at the 1st vert., 400 mm at the 3

r

d vert, and 420 mm at the 5

t

h vert. The breadth of the fac. term, cranialis and caudalis at the 1 st vert, is wide (57-53 mm), later on, more narrow and gradually increasing from 2

n

d to 6

1'

1 vertebra (cran. 46-61 mm, caud. 43—71 mm). The dimensions of the lumbar vertebrae are shown on Table 1. On the I

s

1 and 2

n

d lumbar vertebrae, a foramina vert, lateralia is formed of the incisura vertebrae caudalis. On the left side of the processus spin, of 1

s

t vert, lumb., there is an approx. 15 mm wide cavity (cavum). The depth of the cavity surpasses the med.-sagit. plane over the foramen vertebrate to the right side. The proc. transversuses of the l

s

l vert. lumb. are short. There was a connected transversae fluctuantes on both sides that are missing now. At the end of the right side proc. transv. we can observe that the connected transversus fluctuantes is joined to it by a pseudo-joint. This pseudo-joint surface was formed on the lateral margin of the proc. transv., extending cranially till the superior side of the cranial surface. The right side proc. transversus of the 3

l

d vert, used to break during the life of the animal, on the broken surface, exostosis appeared. Ehe broken proc. was detached from the corpus and did not ossify together.