A Horrifying Bone Pit Beneath a Wine Cellar in Austria Belongs to Extinct Beasts from 40,000 Years Ago.
According to Ancient Origins, Mr. Andreas Pernerstorfer, a winemaker in the town of Gobelsburg, Austria, renovated his wine cellar and discovered numerous giant beast bones during the excavation.
He promptly reported this to the Austrian Federal Heritage Office. Subsequently, the excavation and research were transferred to the Austrian Archaeological Institute of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (OeAW).
A portion of giant beast bones being uncovered by scientists from sediment layers – (Photo: OeAW).
Since mid-May, archaeologists from OeAW have meticulously excavated the layers of bones at this site.
Preliminary analysis results indicate that these giant bones are actually mammoth bones.
A total of approximately 300 bone fragments have been collected, belonging to at least three individuals and including various mammoth species.
Some bone fragments still half-buried in sediment – (Photo: OeAW)
Researchers Thomas Einwögerer and Hannah Parow-Souchon stated that stone artifacts and charcoal found in the sediment layer containing the bones indicate that the remains date back to an ancient period, approximately 30,000 to 40,000 years ago.
“Such a dense layer of mammoth bones is very rare. This is the first time we have been able to investigate a case like this in Austria using modern methods,” the researchers said.
Among these bones are also rare parts not commonly found in other mammoth skeletons, such as tongue bones.
This discovery raises intriguing questions about the interactions between Stone Age humans and these colossal beasts.
The gathering of many scattered bone fragments belonging to various mammoth species suggests that this site served as a location for processing the “spoils” of Stone Age humans who hunted these giant creatures.
Coexisting with Stone Age humans, mammoths played a crucial role as a resource, with their bones and tusks used to create tools, art pieces, and various artifacts, while also serving as a food source.
A study published in 2023 revealed that not only did we—Homo sapiens—hunt mammoths, but that Neanderthals also hunted them from as far back as 125,000 years ago.
