Hungarian National Museum

About: Hungarian National Museum is a archive organization based out in Budapest, Hungary. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Chalcolithic & Population. The organization has 70 authors who have published 106 publications receiving 2223 citations. The organization is also known as: Magyar Nemzeti Múzeum.

Holocene mammal extinctions in the Carpathian Basin: a review

Abstract: Mammals are a key target group for conservation biology. Insights into the patterns and timing of and driving forces behind their past extinctions help us to understand their present, and to predict and mitigate their future biodiversity loss. Much research has been focused on the intensely debated megafaunal extinctions at the Pleistocene–Holocene transition, whereas the Holocene mammal extinctions have remained less studied. Here, we consider the Holocene extinctions of mammal taxa in the Carpathian Basin, a distinctive and biogeographically well-constrained predominantly lowland region in Central Europe. For the first time, we combine data from palaeontological, archaeozoological, and historical sources for a comprehensive analysis. A total of 11 mammal species, including steppe-dwelling rodents, large carnivores and herbivores, disappeared from the Carpathian Basin during the Holocene. The extinctions are interpreted in the framework of changing habitats and ecosystems, as grasslands and open forests vanished at the westernmost limits of the Eurasian steppe. The temporal distribution of extinctions is non-random; most taxon range terminations are concentrated around two discrete events. Members of the steppe community disappeared between 5000 and 4000 BP, around the Copper Age–Bronze Age transition. Large herbivores that found refugia in the forests vanished later, between the 16th and 18th centuries AD. The steppe, forest-steppe ecosystems of the Carpathian Basin suffered a considerable loss in their mammalian fauna, which has significant implications for conservation efforts for the existing similar dry, open habitats in western Eurasia. Further research and better age constraints are needed to establish the causes of extinctions more firmly, but the lack of synchronous and severe climate and vegetation changes and the coincidence with transformations in human history suggest the prime role of anthropogenic disturbance. We conclude that there were two waves of Holocene mammal extinctions of megafaunal character in the Carpathian Basin.

Sourcing Raw Materials for Chipped Stone Artifacts: The State‐of‐the‐Art in Hungary and the Carpathian Basin

Abstract: The provenancing of chipped stone tool raw materials is an integral part of prehistoric research. Such studies include the necessary steps of field survey, fingerprinting, and characterization of geological outcrops, together with investigations of the archeological evidence. The state of such research, however, varies by country and region. It is argued here that joint projects involving international cooperation can advance the field, and promising examples will be presented from Central Europe with special focus on problems to be solved. An Internet based network of information systems is advocated to facilitate the wide dissemination of the results of lithic raw material studies. Lithic Materials and Paleolithic Societies, 1st edition. Edited by B. Blades and B. Adams, ©2009 Blackwell Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4051-6837-3. Copy-edited by Caroline McPherson

Non-destructive research in archaeology

Abstract: There is a growing interest in the application of scientific-physical, chemical etc. methods in archaeology. This is partly due to the fact that classical archaeology, based upon the form, style, decoration of the objects has reached its limits, to obtain new result and, the integration of other disciplines into the argumentation of archaeologists is needed. The other important reason is the development and availability of methods and equipment for non-destructive analyses, ways of gathering useful information on the chemical and mineral composition, age, and state of preservation of the objects which can be useful in their scientific appraisal. PGAA is one of the techniques eminently suited for this purpose.

Metal Threads in Historical Textiles

Abstract: The term “metal thread” is usually applied as collective term of every type of thin, yarn-like textile decorations (strips and wires) made of solid metal. metal-coated organic material or the combination of these with natural or man-made fibres. Metal threads have been used to decoration of textiles. predominantly to embroideries and woven fabrics, since several thousands years. We find then on ecclesiastical as well as on secular vestments, on different accessories like gloves, shoes, head dresses, or even on other objects like hangings, carpets, etc.