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A recent study suggests how prehistoric humans might have survived the last Ice Age.
In the 1950s, researchers discovered circular structures made of mammoth bones in Russia. They called the site Kostenki 11. The purpose of the site proved to be mysterious, but experts assumed that it was used as shelter for warmth and storage.
In 2014, a similar structure was uncovered near Kostenki 11. The new structure was 3,000 years older than the one discovered in the 1950s, making it the oldest mammoth-bone structure ever found.
The structure was created from the bones of around 60 now-extinct mammoths and the remains of other smaller animals.
Lead author Alexander Pryor said that humans and mammoths might have gone to the Kostenki 11 site during the Ice Age because it had a natural spring—a good source of drinking water. He also said that the conifer trees around the site were ideal to be used as wood fuel for the early settlers.
Evidence showed that fire pits were also created inside the structures, indicating that people gathered there to cook meat and burn wood for warmth. Researchers even found signs that the settlers used stone tools and that human activities such as cooking meat and burning wood for warmth were done near the fire pits.
The researchers find it astonishing that prehistoric humans survived in Russia, where winters were extreme during the Ice Age. According to them, the mammoth-bone structures reveal ancient humans’ resourcefulness and resilience to survive in such harsh conditions.
Pryor said the team has started conducting further investigation on the use of the bone structure, mainly focusing on the possibility of it being used as a food storage system during the glacial period.