Pes-kő Cave is located in the Bükk Mountains of northern Hungary, on the southern edge of the Nagy-fennsík plateau. The cave opens to the southwest at approximately 745 m a.s.l. and was formed within Middle Triassic limestone. Known since the mid-19th century, the site was the subject of numerous archaeological and palaeontological excavations carried out between 1912 and 1987. 

Pes-kő Cave is particularly significant for its rich and well-preserved faunal record, which represents one of the most important archives for reconstructing Late Pleistocene environments in the Carpathian Basin. These data have played a key role in regional paleoenvironmental reconstructions and in refining ecological frameworks for human occupation in Central Europe. 

Although lithic artefacts are relatively scarce, the presence of Aurignacian material dated to approximately 35 ka BP represents a rare occurrence of this cultural complex in Hungary. Within the framework of the LAST NEANDERTHALS project, Pes-kő Cave provides a valuable context for re-evaluating faunal accumulation processes, paleoenvironmental dynamics, and their relationship to early Upper Palaeolithic human presence. Ongoing and planned interdisciplinary excavations and analyses, including zooarchaeology, sedimentology, micromorphology, radiocarbon dating, and biomolecular approaches, aim to reassess the chronological and ecological significance of the site within broader regional and interregional perspectives. 

Bibliography: 

• Hír, J. (1991). Rétegazonosító ásatás a Pes-kő-barlangban. Folia Historico-Naturalia Musei Matraensis, 16, 5-12. 

• Kordos, L. (2022). Sedimentologic, Taphonomic Processes and Paleontological Values of Hungarian Caves. In Cave and Karst Systems of Hungary (pp. 487-512). Cham: Springer International Publishing. 

• Vetési-Foith, S., Lénárt, L., Leél-Őssy, S., & Virág, M. (2022). The Caves of the Bükk Mountains. In Cave and Karst Systems of Hungary (pp. 323-359). Cham: Springer International Publishing.