Gyula Cave

Gyula Cave is one of those andesite caves located in the Mátra Mountains. Archaeological finds have been uncovered from it.

Description

In Mátraszentimre, in the valley of the Csörgő stream, about 700–800 m east of the Vándor spring. It can be reached without a path or steps in the valley, following the streambed to the wider terrace of the valley, on whose eastern side the cave opens.

Its entrance is 7 m wide and 2.3 m high. Inside a single larger chamber follows, which is 3.6 m long and 2.3–2.7 m high. Approximately hemispherical in shape. A bladder cave (singenetic cave type) formed in andesite lava, which was filled with hot solutions at its formation.

In 1976 the cave was first called Gyula Cave in the literature.

Excavations

The first excavation of the cave

When István Eszterhás discovered Gyula Cave in the Csörgő stream valley, he immediately thought that our ancestors who hunted there could not have missed this cave. The cave looks onto a relatively wider flat terrace of the valley and its 7 × 2.5 m entrance is followed by a single collapse. On July 13 1990 two trial holes were deepened into the floor of the cave. These revealed three layers. The upper black layer of stone rubble 37 cm deep, followed by a 2–3 cm yellow‑red layer, and then a homogeneous black, crumbly fill 10–50 cm thick up to the stalagmite floor. The finds were discovered in the upper 37 cm layer. They comprised three groups: animal bones, ceramic fragments, stone tools.

Four animal remains were found: a fragment of a cutting tooth, a small limb bone, a fragment of a larger burnt limb bone, and a flat bone splinter. No feedback was received about these finds, and they themselves could not identify them. Regarding the 29 pottery fragments, J. József Szabó, archaeologist of the Eger County Museum, wrote that the ceramic fragments, except for one with a knob decoration and a later Bronze Age piece, are medieval, but within that they represent very different centuries. Probably 12th–13th century are the white material pieces with snail‑line decoration, as well as the grey pieces decorated with densely scratched parallel lines. The pieces with deep grooves and thin walls are 15th century. The striped, red‑painted pieces occur in both periods.

No expert has yet commented on the stone flakes. Among them are two several‑centimetre‑long red, hard, silicate‑type blades, whose material is foreign to the site. They also found several interestingly shaped local andesite stones, ranging from match‑box size to palm‑size, which could have been used as tools, but it is more likely that chance only gave them their shape. All the aforementioned finds, together with the accompanying list, stratigraphic samples, site description, and cave map sketch, were sent to the regionally responsible Mátra Museum, from which they only received feedback about the ceramics that were forwarded to Eger. The accompanying list sent with the finds did not contain more data than the material that was also included in the Alba Regia Cave Research Group Yearbook. However, black‑and‑white photographs of the finds were attached to the study written in the yearbook.

The course of the second excavation

At the camp of the Hungarian Karst and Cave Research Society Volcanic Speleology Collective, which was held in the Mátra near the Vándor spring from May 30, 1998 to June 1, 1998, a partial archaeological and paleontological investigation of Gyula Cave took place. The camp was led by István Eszterhás, the excavation director was Tamás Szenti. Erzsébet Szebeni contributed significantly to the investigation. The research was organized with the permission of the Bükki National Park Directorate (Permit: 22-20/1998) and the involvement of renowned specialists.

Because of other commitments, only one day was allocated for the excavation. The excavation pit measured 150×85 cm. The work began with clearing the area designated for cave excavation, removing wooden stakes, stone blocks, debris and trash. Only the upper soil layer of about 35 cm was examined, as trial excavations had already confirmed that this fill represented the cultural level. Therefore, no stratigraphic samples were collected. No sieve was used, they relied only on visual observation. During the trial excavation, stratigraphic samples were collected. The finds were placed very separately and haphazardly, and their positions did not allow the determination of archaeological layers. It could not yet be determined what caused the cave soil to be disturbed. It is probably a consequence of human intervention, but the old, large floods of the stream flowing in front of the cave may also have played a significant role.

Processing of the finds

Bones: The two bones that were found were identified by László Kordos, a staff member of the Hungarian State Institute of Geology. A Suinae tooth was found, but from this single tooth it cannot be determined whether it is a domestic pig tooth or a wild boar tooth. One small carnivore, probably a marten limb bone. The recent finds most certainly arrived at the site by natural means. The finds are not significant.

Pottery: The pottery material that was found was sent to the Mátra Museum in Gyöngyös, to Levente Fűköh, who forwarded it to the Eger County Museum, to Mr. József J. Szabó. Based on his examinations, the pottery dates to the 14th–15th centuries. Because of the small number of finds that have come to light, no conclusions can yet be drawn about the material; further research is needed.

Find inventory

1 piece of yellow‑brown limb bone (6 cm)

1 piece of grinding tooth (enamelled)

5 pieces of thick‑walled pottery sherds

19 pieces of thin‑walled pottery sherds

Further research