For 20,000 years , the off-white from dozens of mammoth have held together in a great structure constructed by ancient man during the European Ice Age . Now , archaeologists digging below the Earth ’s surface are illuminating the lifestyles of our ancient relative during times of scarceness .
Kostenki 11 is a well - jazz archaeological website situate about 500 kilometers ( 310 international mile ) south of Moscow . Here , archaeologists with the University of Exeter unveiled a 9 - by-9 - beat ( 30 - foot ) rotary feature constructed almost entirely of large gigantic bone used to put up ancient people during the last water ice age , which start out in northerly Europe around 75,000 geezerhood ago and ended around 18,000 years ago . mood reconstruction of the time suggest that summertime in the region were brusk and nerveless while winters were long and cold , often seeing temperatures of -20 ° C ( -4 ° F ) and cold .
all in all , the land site represent a “ uncommon example of Palaeolithic hunter - gatherers living in a coarse environment ” where survival was difficult and resources scarce . Many groups of ancient people pass on the area when temperature plummeted , creating large os structures along the elbow room to warm mood . But what might have set Kostenki 11 asunder from other potential stops ?
“ One possibility is that the mammoths and homo could have amount to the domain on masse shot because it had a natural outflow that would have provide unfrozen liquified water throughout the wintertime – rare in this period of extreme coldness , ” said study lead Dr Alexander Pryor in astatement .
There are around 70 known standardized social organisation in Ukraine and the west Russian plane , but Kostenki 11 is likely one of the oldest features in the area .
" These find pour forth new light on the purpose of these cryptic site . Archaeology is showing us more about how our ancestors survived in this desperately cold and unfriendly surroundings at the climax of the last ice years , ” said Pryor . “ Most other places at exchangeable parallel of latitude in Europe had been desolate by this time , but these radical had manage to adapt to find food , tax shelter and piddle . "
