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‘Bonehenge’: Stone Age structure of mammoth bones discovered in Russia

By Michael Marshall

17 March 2020

 

New Scientist. Science news and long reads from expert journalists, covering developments in science, technology, health and the environment on the website and the magazine.

A circular structure made of Stone Age mammoth bones may have been used for rituals or food storage

A J E Pryor

A prehistoric circle made almost entirely of mammoth bones has been found in Russia. The “bonehenge” was built near the peak of the last glacial period, but it isn’t clear why.

Stone Age people made many bone circles in eastern Europe and northern Asia in the last 22,000 years. One of the best-known sites is Kostenki 11, south of Voronezh in Russia. Two circles of mammoth bones were found there in 1951 and 1970, and have been studied…

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