Wine cellar renovation reveals ‘large’ bones belonging to three prehistoric animals
A homeowner’s renovation project turned into an archaeological excavation after he unearthed the “large” bones of prehistoric animals. Photos show the “sensational find” in Austria.
Andreas Pernestorfer, a winegrower living near Langenlois, was renovating his wine cellar when he “unexpectedly came across large bones,” the Austrian Archaeological Institute said in a May 17 news release.
Pernestorfer had heard stories of mammoth bone discoveries from his grandfather, the institute said. He alerted officials who sent a team of archaeologists.
Archaeologists began excavating the wine cellar and quickly realized this was a “sensational find.”
“What was initially thought to be a few individual mammoth bones turned out to be a huge layer of bones from the parts of at least three different animals,” the institute said. Photos show the “dense layer” of prehistoric bones.
The mammoth bones are likely between 30,000 to 40,000 years old, the Municipality of Langenlois said in a news release. Archaeologists hope to determine the exact age using preserved charcoal.
Mammoth bones were found in a nearby wine cellar roughly 150 years ago and in other parts of Austria roughly 100 years ago, the institute said. These older excavations used less advanced techniques and, as a result, “have largely been lost to modern research.”
The bones found in Pernestorfer’s wine cellar are a “unique opportunity” for archaeologists to use modern excavation techniques, the institute said.
Archaeologists plan to continue excavating the wine cellar in the fall, city officials said.
Langenlois is a town in northern Austria, a roughly 45-mile drive northwest of Vienna.
Google Translate was used to translate the news release from the Municipality of Langenlois.
This story was originally published May 20, 2024 at 3:30 PM with the headline "Wine cellar renovation reveals ‘large’ bones belonging to three prehistoric animals."
