Garam Éva szerk.: Between East and West - History of the peoples living in hungarian lands (Guide to the Archaeological Exhibition of the Hungarian National Museum; Budapest, 2005)
The environment of ancient man (Katalin T. Bíró, Zsófia Medzihradszky, Andrea Torma, István Vörös)
3. Reconstruction of the vegetation based on plant remains and pollen analyses: a lacustrine environment during the Late Pleistocene macro-fossils macro-fossils macro-fossils & pollen pollen plants, shrubs and trees proliferated parallel to the rise in temperatures. These species are characterised by a fast growth, excellent reproductive capabilities at a young age, a relatively brief existence and a rapid migration rate, often as much as 1 km per year. These species include birch, aspen and willow. The middle phase of interglacial cycles is marked by the spread of tree species, which grow more slowly, reach a reproductive age fairly slowly and are longeval. Their seed is dispersed over a small area only, meaning that their migration rate is slower. Most species are shade-tolerant, leading to the emergence of closed woods. Species of this type include oak, elm and linden. The tree species particular to the last phase of the cycle reach their reproductive age in adulthood and have medium reproductive capabilities. They are shade-tolerant, capable of renewal under their canopy, longeval and their migration rate is low. Species in this category include spruce and silver fir, as well as beech among deciduous species. The vegetation of the Carpathian Basin can be reconstructed from the mosaic of seed and fruit remains, macrofossils and the results pollen analyses (Fig. 3). We shall begin our overview of the vegetation history of Hungary from the period which saw the appearance of the first hominids at Vértesszőlős. This period coincides with the beginning of the Mindel glacial, characterised by an environment with alder, willow and aspen in waterlogged areas, and alder buckthorn, spindletree, red-currant and common buckthorn thriving in grove forests of oak and elm. Common hop and wild grape vines entwined the trees. Meadows were dotted with colourful and fragrant flowers, such as grass of Parnassus and buttercup. The mountains were covered with mixed forests of birch, pine and oak, with hazel and lilac in their shrub level. Nut, nettletree and hop hornbeam survived in sheltered patches among the woods. The presence of these species suggests a July temperature of 21-28 °C
