Late Gravettian lithic finds from Felsőtárkány-Peskő Cave, Northern Hungary

Abstract

Peskő Cave near Felsőtárkány (North Hungarian Mountains) is known for its Early Upper Palaeolithic bone industry found in the lower layer of its sediments in the early 20th century. Besides the points, a small amount of lithics were found in the Pleistocene stratum. Two archaeological horizons were identified. The lower two layers were classified as Aurignacian and the upper two ones Magdalénian. The Aurignacian included a few retouched blades, while the Magdalénian was never published. In the second half of the 20th century, the Magdalénian was reclassified as ‘Pilisszántó culture’ or ‘Cave Gravettian’, dated to the Late Glacial period. After the replacement of ‘Pilisszántó culture’ with the term Epigravettian in the 1980s the ‘Magdalénian’ layer of Peskő Cave fell out of research focus. Our research found that the automatic conversion of Pilisszántó culture finds to Epigravettian did not work and the finds at Peskő belong to the Late Gravettian.