Andreas Pernerstorfer of Gobelsburg, Austria was renovating his wine cellar when he found something extraordinary: a pile of Stone Age mammoth bones.
According to the Austrian Academy of Sciences, the bones—from at least three different mammoths—are approximately 30,000 to 40,000 years-old. They called the discovery "the most significant find of this kind in more than 100 years" and an "archaeological sensation."
"Such a dense bone layer of mammoths is rare," says excavation leader Hannah Parow-Souchon. "It's the first time we've been able to investigate something like this in Austria using modern methods."
It's likely that the animals died there after getting trapped by human hunters. Notably, researchers 150 years ago had found flint artifacts, jewelry, charcoal, and other items in the wine cellar next door.
"40,000-Year-Old Mammoth Bones Discovered in Wine Cellar" (OEAW)
Previously: Wooly mammoths to be reborn by 2027, says biotech firm
