Archaeologists Find Mammoth Bones in Austrian Wine Cellar, Marking ‘Most Significant’ Find in Over a Century

A winemaker’s cellar turned out to be the site of an incredible archaeological find of mammoth bones. (Photo: Austrian Academy of Science/Hannah Parow-Souchon)

The Washington Post reported on Thursday that Austrian winemaker, Andreas Pernerstorfer, discovered mammoth bones estimated to be between 30,000 and 40,000 years old when renovating his wine cellar. Archaeologists from the Austrian Academy of Sciences are currently inspecting these bones and intend to send them to the Natural History Museum in Vienna to be restored.

The Austrian Academy of Sciences considered the mammoth bones to be “the most significant find of this kind in more than 100 years.”

150 years ago, archaeologists unearthed jewelry, fossils and flint artifacts at a neighboring wine cellar. Archaeologists believe the most recent mammoth bone finds are a part of the same excavation site.

“Other comparable sites in Austria and neighboring countries were mostly excavated at least 100 years ago and have largely been lost to modern research,” scientists explained in a statement.

The director of the excavation, Hannah Parow-Souchon, claimed that the soil in the area ensured the mammoth bones were very well preserved. Experts believe that the bones of at least three mammoths are buried on top of one another at the site.

“I’ve worked in many parts of the world and have never seen so many mammoths in one place,” Parow-Souchon explained to the Washington Post.

Researchers from The Austrian Academy of Sciences intend to hone in on the age of the mammoth bones by dating them with charcoal within the wine cellar.

The big question is how such massive animals were buried at the excavation site and how they died.

“We know that humans hunted mammoths, but we still know very little about how they did it,” Parow-Souchon explained.

In April, archaeologists in the U.S. made what they referred to as a “blockbuster find” at Mt. Vernon, the historic home of the first president, George Washington.

They discovered what they believed to be cherry bounce, a type of cherry brandy, during an excavation. The bottles were in great condition, and when they were opened, the scent of cherries apparently filled the air.

The bottles were sent off to a lab so the mysterious cherry-scented liquid inside could be analyzed.

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