A 25,000-year-old Ice Age structure made from the bones of 60 woolly mammoths has been unearthed in Russia. This is not the first "mammoth house" found in Russia, but it is the oldest and largest. Since 2014, a team of scientists has been excavating the 40-foot-wide circular bones at a Paleolithic site about 300 miles south of Moscow. The structure includes several walls, fire pits, and areas for butchering.
Back in the 1960s and 70s, the researchers found similar, smaller structures on the site, which they named Kostenki 11. The site is located around 310 miles south of Moscow and is now home to a museum. In 2014, they found evidence of this structure at the site and began excavation in 2015, which took three years. These mammoth bone structures, dating to the Ice Age, have been found across Eastern Europe. But until now, the oldest ones found were dated to 22,000 years ago. Based on previous discoveries, researchers believe they were constructed by Palaeolithic people to serve as houses, providing refuge during harsh winters.According to the study, the bones formed a continuous circle with no obvious entrance. The wall of the 30 feet building was constructed using a combination of 51 lower jaws and 64 individual mammoth skulls. Inside the circle, the researchers also found the first evidence that wood was burned inside it. But there are no signs of long-term habitation inside the structure. They believe it was not a wintertime refuge , which led them to rethink the purpose of these huge, time-consuming structures. Scientists are still trying to figure out why the oldest and largest building was built. Some have suggested it was a site of ritual but others think it may for food storage to help humans survive the harsh winter. However, the researchers plan to investigate the site further, hoping to determine the purpose of the structure.
Post time 23-7-2020 10:37 AM
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