Interdisciplinary analysis of an Iron Age aurochs horn core from Hungary: a case study
Interdisciplinary analysis of an Iron Age aurochs horn core from Hungary: a case study

Summary/Abstract: The sawn-off horn core of an aurochs (Bos primigenius Bojanus 1827) bull has been kept for over half a century in the Ignác Tragor Museum of Vác. According to the relevant inventory book entry (dated June 5, 1951) ... It had to be bought back from a private collector that year, which made its provenancing uncertain. Aurochs seems to have disappeared from Hungary by the 13th century. As of today, the latest remains of this animal were found in 9th–10th century Zalavár and 11th–13th century Csongrád. Aurochs, however, had already become rare in the present day territory of Hungary by the Roman Period. Its conventionally accepted date of extinction in Europe is 1627. The cutmark, as a cultural modification, makes this bone a “real” archaeological artefact. This Sonderfund is, thus, extremely interesting from both a zoological and archaeological point of view, and as such deserves multidisciplinary treatment. Therefore, an effort was made to summarize its chronological, zoological and technological aspects using a variety of methods.

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