Speaker
Dr
Katalin T. Biró
(Hungarian National Museum)
Description
Tata-Porhanyó is one of the classical Middle Palaeolithic sites in Hungary.
The recognition of the site as a palaeontological locality dates back to the 18th century. Later on, it was one of the earliest Palaeolithic excavations in Hungary (1909), published by the excavator in 1912.
The site was re-discovered and excavated again by L. Vértes and his team in 1958 and 1959. The results were published in a monograph (Vértes et al. 1964). About 40 years later, new excavations were started here by V. Dobosi and J. Cseh (1995-2001), basically for cleaning the site which terminated in a National Scientific Research Fund program yielding material comparable in size and importance to the previous excavation campaigns.
Currently we are working on the new monographic publication. More than 43,000 stone artefacts, among them 2935 finished tools are currently registered from the Tata-Porhanyó site.
On a selected set of siliceous raw material samples (about 20 pieces), petrographical and geochemical studies were made. Besides the microscopic studies, the elemental compositions of the samples have been determined by prompt-gamma activation analysis (PGAA). The non-destructive method is suitable to differentiate between the major raw material types, on the basis of the major- and some trace elements concentrations (Kasztovszky et al, 2008). The aim of the study was to investigate, if we can perform provenance analysis of the archaeological objects. The interpretation of the results is still in progress; showing the variety of lithic resources utilised by the Palaeolithic inhabitants of the site.
References
Fülöp, É., Cseh, J. eds. (2004): Die aktuellen Fragen des Mittelpaläolithikums in Mitteleuropa / Topical issues of the Research of Middle Palaeolithic Period in Central Europe. Tudományos Füzetek Tata 12 1-258.
Kasztovszky, Zs., T. Biró, K., Markó, A., Dobosi, V., 2008, Cold neutron prompt gamma activation analysis – a non-destructive method for characterisation of high silica content chipped stone tools and raw materials, Archaeometry, 50, 1, 12-29.
Kormos T. (1912): A tatai őskőkori telep Magyar Állami Földtani Intézet Évkönyve 1912 20 1-60.
Vértes, L. & al. (1964): Tata, eine Mittelpalaeolithische Travertin-Siedlung in Ungarn Archaeologia Hungarica. Ser. Budapest 43 1-285.
Primary author
Dr
Viola T. Dobosi
(Hungarian National Museum)
Co-authors
Mrs
Boglárka Maróti
(MTA Centre for Energy Research)
Dr
Katalin T. Biró
(Hungarian National Museum)
Dr
Sándor Józsa
(Department of Petrology and Geochemistry, Eötvös Loránd University)
Dr
Zsolt Kasztovszky
(MTA Centre for Energy Research)
