Gyöngyössy Márton (szerk.): Perspectives on the Past. Major Excavations in County Pest (Szentendre, 2008)
(895-1301 АО) It is no easy task to speak of an atypical research project, its antecedents and potential findings before the completion of the investigations. This is especially true of the Holdvilág-árok near Pomáz. The cave or, better said, the artificial cavity behind the waterfall was investigated in 2002. The excavations begun in 2003 focused on the area under the Nagyszikla rock and the areas above the cave shaft. Three levels could be distinguished in one area, and five in the other. Various animal bones were found down to a depth of -3.5 meters. The bones were dominated by cattle, accounting for about 95 per cent of the assemblage. The cattle remains were made up of the skulls, mandibles and extremities of adult individuals. The other finds include the fragments of a vessel from the late 4th or 5th century, a few iron quarrying tools, a human toe bone, the pieces of an almost intact late 15th century/early 16th century vessel bearing a Viennese potter’s stamp and the fragments of a pink vessel decorated with grooving. The stepped structure of the walls, the huge, carved ashlars and the Roman/Hun period pottery sherds found in 2004 suggest that the deposits lying below 1.5 meters represent the remains of a Roman/Hun period stone quarry. The pyrop or Czech garnet crystals visible to the naked eye in the artificial underground galleries dug for deep vein mining indicate a process of contact metasomatism, while the analyses performed on the samples have revealed the presence of magnetite and manganese oxide. The investigations in the Holdvilág-árok have furnished evidence for one-time quarrying and mining activity, alongside a few other features, 7. 2. which are alien to these activities, such as rock surfaces carved straight or curved, beehive shaped niches and various incised signs, which allow other interpretations too. It is hardly the task of archaeologists to further embroider the local legends. Neither the base of the mine, nor the matrix has been reached in some parts of the 7 meters deep archaeological trench. The examination of the still uninvestigated parts of the manually carved rock wall and the finds brought to light during previous excavation seasons definitely warrant the continuation of research on this site. • Tamás Repiszky 3. 1. View of the excavation 2. Excavated area under the Nagyszikla rock 3. Potter's stamp on the Viennese pot 4. Rim of the Viennese pot Hun period and medieval quarry at Pomáz
