Nouvelle interprétation des occupations néanderthaliennes de la grotte Subalyuk (Hongrie du Nord)

• Authors: Mester Zsolt , Patou-Mathis Marylene
• Languages of publication: FR

Abstracts

EN

Due to its rich lithic, osseous and human remains, Subalyuk Cave is the most important Middle Palaeolithic site of Hungary. The results of the excavation in 1932, directed by J. Dancza and O. Kadić, were published in a monograph. Since then, this is the first archaeozoological study of the bone assemblage, which provides palaeontological, palaeoecological, biochronological, taphonomic and palaeo-ethnographic data complemented with the analysis of lithics. Based on the original documentations, the provenience of osseous and lithic finds was reconstructed. The materials were studied according to layers. The occupations of each layer was interpreted in its chronologic, climatic and environmental framework. This allowed us to formulate a new interpretation for the animal and human occupations at Subalyuk Cave. The lower layers (c1 to c6) are dated from the Eemian to the Early Weichselian Glaciation. The upper layers (c7 to c14) are deposited during the Lower Pleniglacial and the Early Interpleniglacial. Along this sequence, carnivores used the cave for denning or refuge (wolves in c1 to c3, hyaenas in c7 to c14, and cave bears in c3 to c14). Neanderthals of Typical Mousterian (c1 to c7) and Quina type Mousterian (c8 to c14) used also the cave for seasonal camping (c3), as a hunting station (c8 to c11, c14) and evidences of ephemeral visits were also found by our analyses (c1, c4 to c7, c12, c13). The taphonomical study of the human remains in layer 11 revealed that the two individuals had been deposited in different times and in different condtions. The child most probably was properly buried into the sediment, but the skeleton of the adult was decomposed on the cave floor during the formation of layer 11.

Keywords

EN

Archaeozoological study; Middle Palaeolithic; Mousterian industries; seasonal camp; hunting station; carnivore den

• Publisher: Polska Akademia Nauk
• Journal: Acta Archaeologica Carpathica
• Year: 2016
• Volume: LI
• Pages: 7-46

Contributors

author

Mester Zsolt

author

Patou-Mathis Marylene