Three Seasons of Research in the Hučivá Diera Cave in the Slovak Tatra Mountains

This paper presents the results of a research project addressing the hitherto mysterious absence of Palaeolithic traces within the Tatra Mountains. Preliminary investigations conducted in 2019 at hučivá diera cave, located in the Slovak portion of the Tatras (the Belianske Tatras), successfully identified distinct evidence of occupation by the Magdalenian culture. in 2022 and 2024, interdisciplinary research at the site continued. The findings have significantly expanded the archaeological dataset and facilitated a more precise definition of paleoenvironmental aspects, such as the late Pleistocene fauna and flora within this high-altitude environment. Discoveries from hučivá diera cave suggest that during the Bölling warming period at the end of the Pleistocene, the cave was utilised by hunters who primarily targeted the alpine ibex, processing the carcasses and hides in situ.