Recently, archaeologists have discovered in Russia a huge structure built from thousands of bones of dozens of woolly mammoths. It is the oldest known structure of its kind (25,000 years old) and its purpose is not entirely clear.
Round structures made from mammoth bones are surprisingly common in archaeological records. Most of them date back to about 22,000 years ago and appear throughout most of the Ice Age of Eastern Europe.
Now archaeologists working at the Kostenki 11 site have discovered the largest and oldest structure in the world, 12.5 meters wide, made of mammoth bones.
These structures are usually surrounded by a series of large pits, the purpose of which is unknown. As for the general purpose of the mammoth bone structures themselves, it is also not clear.
“Apart from being explained as 'dwellings', places of this type have previously been interpreted as having potential ritual significance. However, it is very difficult to say exactly what the meaning of this ritual was, archaeologists say.
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“Finding so many mammoth bones from at least 60 different mammoths is a major challenge. They had to be harvested either from recently killed animals or by digging up bones from long-dead carcasses found around. In any case, mammoth bones are really heavy, especially when fresh, and it would take a huge amount of time and labor to simply move the bones to the place of construction.
Inside this bone structure, a hearth was discovered in which wood was burned. Therefore, the dwelling probably served as a refuge from the harsh winters of the Ice Age and, possibly, all year round. Perhaps it was also a place to store and accumulate food.
If even some of these mammoths were hunted, it provided a lot of food from each kill. Therefore, storing and storing this food can really be a significant part of what people did there.
This structure could also have ritual significance. Perhaps it was some kind of sanctuary or monument in honor of woolly mammoths. That mammoths played an important spiritual role in the lives of these people is not a figment of the imagination.
This new discovery shows that hunter-gatherers were smarter than commonly assumed. Instead of mindlessly pursuing herds of animals and picking nuts and berries along the way, these people actively planned their future and built appropriate structures.
