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A total of 1,514 fossil bones were studied from the Vaskapu II rock shelter (Bükk Mountains, North Hungary). The objective of this study was to investigate those processes of bone modification that were important in the dispersal, destruction and preservation of bone in the deposit. Size-selective taphonomic processes were detected in the accumulat...
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Citations
... Among the small vertebrates (weighing less than 5.0 kg), microvertebrates are characterized by mass smaller than 1.0 kg. This small size conditions methodologies of sampling, collection, and analysis, because it presents distinctive variables at all degrees of taphonomic alteration (Korth, 1979;Andrews, 1990;Stahl, 1996;Szabolcs and Virág, 2009). Further, it is important that studies of micromammals, among microvertebrates, have led to development of new analysis methodologies (Andrews, 1990;Fernandez-Jalvo and Andrews, 1992;Stahl, 1996). ...
Paleopathology in bones of very small mammals has rarely been studied. Different types of osseous lesions of mammals weighing under 0.2 kg, recovered from the Holocene strata of Cueva Tixi archaeological and paleontological site (Tandilia range, province of Buenos Aires, Argentina), are described and discussed in this report. Several types of trauma, entheseal changes, degenerative joint diseases, and probable osteomyelitis were identified. The lesions were chronic, indicating that the animals were able to survive a period of convalescence, although in many cases the decreased capacity for locomotion likely was significant. These pathological findings open research avenues for very small mammals that usually are not considered in archaeological disease studies.
... Th e straight fractures of these bones show that these animals were transported to the site long aft er their death (e.g. Sóron & Virág 2009). Nevertheless, the partial green toad skeleton suggests another event. ...
Th e Nagyharsány Crystal Cave is a new, probably Late Pleistocene palaeovertebrate locality, from where this is the fi rst report on the herpetofauna. Th e study revealed the presence of Bufo viridis (Anura) and Natrix sp., the appearance of which taxa suggests that the fossilifer-ous sediments were probably accumulated at the beginning of an interglacial phase in a steppe or woody steppe environment. With 2 fi gures.
... The most abundant and most frequently studied part of the material is the mammalian fauna. KADIĆ and MOTTL (1938) described small and large mammals from the Vaskapu I locality, MÉSZÁROS (1999, 2003, 2004 and 2013) paid particular attention to the shrew remains from the Vaskapu II site, while SÓRON & VIRÁG (2009) focused mainly on the rodent assemblage of the latter locality. ...
... Similar or the same material was washed later from the plateau at top of the Vaskapu VII locality into the fissure system by the spring snowmelt and the repeated rainfalls. This model is in agreement with the results of the taphonomic study carried out by SÓRON & VIRÁG (2009), according to which splitting and flaking resulting from weathering and drying of the bones are common modifications at the locality. The material under the influence of gravity as well as the infiltrating water moved downwards in the fissure system (i.e. ...
... It is in agreement with the fact that the material is more fragmented and contains less relatively long (more than 10 mm) bones at the Vaskapu II site compared with the Vaskapu VII locality. It is also in agreement with the observations of SÓRON & VIRÁG (2009), according to which the most common fractures of the limb bones are perpendicular to the main axis of the bone and the broken surface is smooth or stepped, which means that the damage occurred after the loss of the collagen fibers (i.e. the remains were most likely at least partly mineralized at that time). The abundance of bone fragments, isolated molars and empty alveolar spaces suggest a relatively significant transportation of the material. ...
About 60 years later than the systematic excavation in 1933 carried out by Dr. Mária Mottl and her co-workers, the Vaskapu locality in North Hungary was rediscovered by Dr. János Hír. In the following 15 years, several different field surveys were take place at the site and a rich microvertebrate assemblage were found. The aims of the present study were to review the vertebrate fauna (paying particular attention to the previously poorly studied herpetofauna) and to summarize its taphonomical, biostratigraphical and palaeoecological implications. The slightly mixed assemblage with elements of the forest as well as the grassland habitat is interpreted here as the result of a mosaic or quickly shifting environment left behind a retractive glaciation in the late Würm (namely at the time of the transition between the Pilisszántóian and Palánkian local biochronological stages around 15 000 years ago).
... A Vaskapu-barlang ősmaradványain Sóron & Virág (2005) részletes tafonómiai vizsgálatokat végzett. Megállapították, hogy a csontok osztályozottsága és nagymértékű degradációja -a repedéseken át történő szűrődésen kívül -víz általi szállításra és áthalmozódásra vezethető vissza. ...
A 12 000 years old fossil ecosystem was determined in the Bükk Mountains (North Hungary) by the studies in the last 15 years, which was very similar to the recent communities of the European high mountains. A projekt is presented in this paper, which studies recent sedimentations of similar samples to the fossil ones in the high mountain ecosystems (Eastern Austria, Rax Alps, Preiner Rocky Wall, Haidsteig locality). Comparison of the fossil and recent samples would support the hypotheses, that the Bükk localities actually represent an Alpine ecosystem.
The study is an updated summary of the paleontological values of the caves in Hungary in the light of sedimentologic and taphonomic conditions. The localities discussed in chronological order contain their locations, history of excavation, important sedimentologic and taphonomic characteristics, typical paleontologic and/or archaeologic remains, the age and biochronologic positions. Most of the illustrations have historical value, first published here. The reference is containing the basic works, the most important priority papers and the current publications.KeywordsHungaryCavesPaleontologyCave depositsTaphonomyResearch historyPaleoenvironmentChronologyArcheologyCenozoicQuaternary
The summary of the Late Pleistocene Soricidae remains of the North Hungarian Vaskapu Cave II and VII localities is given in the present paper. Five species (Sorex alpinus SHINZ, 1837, Sorex minutus LINNAEUS, 1766, Sorex araneus LINNAEUS 1758, Crocidura russula HERMANN, 1780 and Crocidura suaveolens PALLAS, 1811) were identified in the fauna. The species composition of the shrew assemblage indicates cold climate with diversified ecotypes in the mountain surroundings, with forests and open grasslands as well. Also the new location (in the Stratigraphical Collection of the Department of Paleontology and Geology at the Hungarian Natural History Museum) with definitive inventory numbers of the formerly published Vaskapu fossils is present here.
Preliminary results on a study of amphibians ofthe late Early Pleistocene Somssich Hill 2 palaeovertebrate locality (Villány Mountains)
Abstract The study of anurans from the late Early Pleistocene deposits of Somssich Hill 2 at Villany suggested the presence of six species of amphibians: Bombina cf. variegata, Pelobatesfuscus, Bufo bufo, Bufo viridis, Hyla cf. arborea es Rana cf. temporaria. This fossil assemblage consists almost entirely of isolated bones which belong to juvenile specimens. Strata of this locality demonstrate the dominance of heliophile species in the face of peri aquatic taxa within the studied amphibian fauna. This suggests that the environment was mainly dry steppe during the sedimentation of these deposits but the climate became more humid at least three times. This led to the formation of closed forests or gallery forests where a river or lake near the locality may have formed a large permanent water surface.
