archeology
Researchers report sensational discovery: mammoth bones discovered in wine cellar
Archaeologist Hannah Parow-Souchon leads the mammoth excavations – the picture shows the uncovering of the bones.
© ÖAW-ÖAI / H. Parow-Souchon / PR
In Gobelsburg, Lower Austria, the situation is mammoth Excitement: During renovation work, a wine grower came across unexpectedly large bones – and immediately reported the find.
It is good that his grandfather told him about mammoth bones. Otherwise, the Lower Austrian winegrower Andreas Pernestorfer would probably have reacted differently when he found bones in his cellar. According to the Austrian archaeological institute ÖAI, he fortunately did exactly the right thing. While excavating in his cellar, the winemaker came across mammoth bones that were 30,000 to 40,000 years old. Since he had already heard stories about such relics, he immediately alerted the Austrian Federal Monuments Office.
But he didn’t know how extensive his find was. The ÖAI writes: “The finding, which was initially estimated to be a few individual mammoth bones, turned out after a short excavation to be a massive layer of bones that came from the parts of at least three different animals.”
“The most important find of its kind in more than 100 years”
The researchers are now pleased that they can work with a large number of different remains and examine them using modern methods. Similar finds unearthed more than 100 years ago are largely lost to modern research. The fact that such a treasure has been discovered again is nothing less than a sensation for the institute. “Such a dense mammoth bone layer is rare,” says archaeologist Hannah Parow-Souchon, who is leading the excavation. “It is the first time that we have been able to investigate something like this in Austria using modern means.”
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In one Press release It is said that the researchers led by the archaeologist have already uncovered several layers of mammoth bones since mid-May. For example, the researchers would like to use the bones to investigate the question of how Stone Age people were able to hunt the animals in the first place. It is believed that the largest mammoths grew up to 4.5 meters high and could weigh up to 15 tons. The well-known woolly mammoth was around 3.7 meters high and is said to have weighed five to eight tons. An almost unimaginable challenge for the primitive weapons of the people of that time. “We know that humans hunted mammoths, but we still know little about how they did it,” said Parow-Souchon.
Was the wine cellar once a Stone Age mammoth trap?
The archaeologists’ initial assumption is that the wine cellar discovery could have been a trap for the animals. Why else would the bones of three animals be in the same place?
As soon as the investigations are completed, the find will be handed over to the Natural History Museum Vienna, it is said. The restoration will then take place there.