Archaeologists have uncovered the remains of at least five mammoths during excavations in the renowned Langmannersdorf an der Perschling site in Austria. The site was first identified back in the early 20th century, where excavations found two hunting encampments and accumulations of mammoth deposits from an incredible 25,000 years ago.
During this period, herds of mammoths roamed Central Europe, using the Perschling Valley, in the Lower Austria state, as a grazing area and migration route. A recent study has uncovered two additional mammoth bone accumulations just 50 feet apart. They contain the skeletal remains of at least five mammoths, along with stone tools and dismembered tusks.
One accumulation shows evidence of butchering in at least two mammoths, while the other has the remains of at least three individuals, as well as intact and dismembered tusks from ivory processing for the crafting of tools.
This suggests that the two areas were dedicated to different work. Mammoth ivory is very strong and hard to break or splinter, so was widely used by Paleolithic hunters for spearheads, needles and beads, among other objects.
The discovery has led archaeologists to suggest that prehistoric hunters not only consumed mammoth meat but also processed ivory on site.
A team from the Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW), led by Marc Händel of the Austrian Archaeological Institute (ÖAI), conducted the excavation. Their research forms part of the European project, Exploring Mammoth Bone Accumulations in Central Europe (MAMBA).
Experts have been able to reconstruct the environment and human activity of the time using DNA analysis, stable isotope studies, radiometric dating and paleodemographic modelling. This now offers a rare and exciting glimpse into life before the peak of the last Ice Age.
“The fact that we found not just individual bones here but intensively used areas in which several animals were processed has more than exceeded our expectations,” explains Marc Händel of the Austrian Archaeological Institute of the Austrian Academy of Sciences.
This find suggests that people of this time had a thorough understanding of the animals’ habits and used this knowledge specifically for their hunting expeditions.
The new discoveries provide valuable insights into the hunting and lifestyles of these people who lived some 25,000 years ago.
The excavated remains are now undergoing analysis andnce studies are complete, the finds will be transferred to the Natural History Museum in Vienna. Various objects will also be displayed at the Perschling Museum of Local History.
