What can mammoth bones tell us?

From there, ÖAW was called. Soon after, it was shown that the bones, between 30,000 and 40,000 years old, came from at least three animals.

“There are reports from some sites of dense accumulations of mammoth bones as we have now found in Zeiselberg,” says Baro Suchon.

“However, most of these sites were examined at the beginning of the history of research and were therefore only partially documented or not documented at all. Today, none of these finds have been preserved in Austria, which may provide us with information about how the site came to be.” Discovery.

Important answers

What is interesting in this context, according to Barro-Souchon, is how this group of bones appeared At least three mammoths can come. “Was the entire herd hunted at once or were there several successive hunts in a very niche location? We have never been able to get close to the answers to these questions at local sites. But they are essential to understanding the relationship between mammoths and human hunters.”

It is relatively certain that humans generally hunted mammoths, but no one knows how. “You don't just hunt an elephant, not even today. Elephants are intelligent herd animals and the group will not accept you removing a single animal. This raises the interesting question: How is this possible? With what weapons? Perhaps the mammoth was stuck in the mud or killed in an ambush.”

Stressful work

The first few weeks in the wine cellar were stressful. “It was eight degrees and the humidity was very intense,” describes Baro Suchon. Excavations will be conducted again for at least four weeks in the summer. The bones are very soft and must be properly preserved and drilled to reveal cut marks.

These may indicate humans using meat, tendons, or fur. “We don't know if we will find such traces, but modern methods can help us achieve this.”

At the moment it is primarily manual labor. “This is not compatible with this Indiana Jones“The imagination that many people have,” the researcher jokes.

She wants to convey that there is no need to be afraid to contact the Federal Archaeological Office. “Unfortunately, the sites are limited and much has already been lost. For us, the most important thing is to preserve the information contained on these sites for future generations.