Kaszab Zoltán (szerk.): A Magyar Természettudományi Múzeum évkönyve 68. (Budapest 1976)
Jánossy, D. ; Kordos, L.: Pleistocene-holocene Mollusc and Vertebrate fauna of two caves in Hungary
named after SALAMON JÁNOS PETÉNYI. VÉRTES made test excavations and systematic excavations in the filling of the cave between the 14th and loth of May and from the 18th of June till the 16th of July in 1955, respectively. The archaeological material (VÉRTES 1956), micromineralogical results (HERMANN 1956), anthrakotomical investigations (STIEBER 1956, 1969) were published in details while the study of vertebrate fauna was published as a preliminary report (JÁNOSSY 1956, 1960). At the entrance of the cave six layers were unearthed down to 2.5 metres' depth (Fig. 1); the upper five layers (marked as H^u, H n , H XII , H IV , H v ) are of Holocene age while the lowermost is an Upper Pleistocene layer (VÉRTES 1965). Fig. 1. Sketch map and transversal profile of Petényi Cave, with the indications of layers (Hj_ v and P I} further explanations see in text). Layer H x contained the pottery of Hallstatt, Baden and Bükk cultures as well as bone and silex tools. Hallstatt pottery was present sporadically in layers from H n to H Iv .At the top of layer H IV several sherds of Bükk culture were found together with a few from Baden culture. In layers H v and P l a few atypical blades were found, some of them were determined by VÉRTES epipalaeolithic tools, the others were described as questionable Mesolithic ones. On the basis of investigations made on fauna, charcoal and sediments VÉRTES (1956, 1965) put layer P r into the Upper Pleistocene ("Postglacial") Alleröd falling partly into the life-span of Pilisszántó Culture. A detailed re-examination of the fauna of Petényi Cave was made in 1975. Molluscs were determined by DR. E. KROLOPP, avifauna by DR. D. JÁNOSSY and other vertebrate animals by DR. L. KORDOS — considering also the analysis of the previous report (JÁNOSSY 1956). The layers, sporadic finds and samples bearing the inscriptions of the excavation contain the remains of the following animal species. (Molluscs and some undeterminable groups of vertebrate animals are marked only with " + " sign without quantification; otherwise the whole quantity of the determined bones is at the left side of the fraction-line while maximum individual number calculated on the basis of osteological material is at the right side of it) . Samples marked withH I _ II —P x are suitable for faunal analysis while the material of other layers can be considered as sporadic finds because of their mixed fauna and the low number of specimens therefore they were left out of further evaluation. Unfortunately, there are only a few specimens in layers H ni and H n too, it means that the conclusions drawn from them should be treated with the necessary caution. According to the still up-to-date age determination made by VÉRTES (1956) the sequence of layers and the fauna cover a period from the Alleröd till the time of the excavations. The deposition of layers did not take place at a steady pace expressed also by the annexed graph (Fig. 2). P l and H v layers contained epipalaeolithic and mesolithic tools, therefore they represent the fauna of Pleistocene-Holocene boundary. The pottery of Bükk culture is common in layer H IV therefore this layer by all means represents Neolithic, while all the layers above it contain Hallstatt sherds. It means that it is impossible to make a more precise archaeological division for post- neolithic layers. The filling is probably mixed here. Explanation of Table I. (p. 10 — 13).
