The problem of ‘Epipalaeolithic’ in the Carpathian Basin: Lithic finds from Hont-Várhegy, Northern Hungary

Abstract

In the 1950s, a few hundred knapped stone artefacts were found at the Hont-Várhegy site during field surveys. The characteristics of the finds led Miklós Gábori to conclude that the assemblage represents the ‘Epipalaeolithic’ and the survival of the Gravettian with Swiderian traditions into the Late Glacial period. Research in recent years has cast doubt on the concept of the ‘Epipaleolithic’ in relation to the inner parts of the Carpathian Basin. Thus, the re-evaluation of the finds became necessary. The current article presents a techno-typological review of the finds of Hont-Várhegy, proving that the archaeological and cultural integrity of the lithic assemblages in focus is low and that the finds could be dated to the Middle and Upper Palaeolithic and probably the Neolithic or the Copper Age.