Significant find in Lower Austria

“Archaeological sensation”: mammoths in the wine cellar

According to the ÖAW, this is the "most significant find of this kind for more than 100 years".

(Bild: APA/ÖAW/ H. PAROW-SOUCHON)

In the Lower Austrian town of Gobelsburg (Krems district), a winegrower discovered strikingly large bones during renovation work in his wine cellar. Experts believe that the mammoth remains are the "most significant find of this kind for more than 100 years".

The bones, which gradually came to light in Andreas Pernerstorfer's wine cellar, are thought to be between 30,000 and 40,000 years old. After the discovery was reported to the Federal Monuments Office, researchers from the Austrian Archaeological Institute (ÖAI) of the Academy of Sciences (ÖAW) began excavations in mid-May. The ÖAW spoke of an "archaeological sensation" in a press release on Wednesday afternoon.

At least three animals
Archaeologists Thomas Einwögerer and Hannah Parow-Souchon have since uncovered several layers containing the remains of the gigantic Ice Age animals. They are likely to be the bones of at least three animals. "Such a dense layer of mammoth bones is rare. It is the first time that we have been able to investigate something like this in Austria using modern methods," said Parow-Souchon, head of the excavation, which was funded by the Federal Monuments Office and the province of Lower Austria.

(Bild: APA/ÖAW/YANNIK MERKL)

Remains of individual mammoths have been found in recent years, for example in the course of road construction work, but the ensemble in Gobelsburg stands out. Incidentally, the last comparable find in Austria was made not far from the current excavation site.

Similar find 150 years ago
150 years ago, "a thick layer of bones and cultural layers with flint artefacts, decorative fossils and charcoal" were also discovered in an adjacent wine cellar in Gobelsburg, according to the ÖAW statement: "During the excavation there, the cellars in question were completely cleared out, and other comparable sites in Austria and neighboring countries were mostly excavated at least 100 years ago and are largely lost to modern research."

Experts hope for new clues
Stone artefacts and charcoal remains have now also been uncovered in the area of the new excavation. This could have been a place where Stone Age people once rounded up the massive animals or drove them into a trap and killed them. It is hoped that this unusual discovery will provide new clues as to how people organized and hunted the animals back then: