The bones of five ice age mammoth species were discovered in a ‘mammoth graveyard’ in Swindon, a town in southwest England. These Steppe mammoth bones, which date from 220,000 to 210,000 years ago, belonged to two adults, two juveniles and one newborn. The steppe mammoths are the descendants of the woolly mammoths. The bones of this species are very well-preserved, according to experts, and might lead to fresh insights into the Neanderthal lifestyle during the ice period.
The tusks, limb bones, ribs, and vertebrae of the five mammoths were discovered with Neanderthal artefacts, which might have been used to hunt the beasts. Hand axes and sharp stones were brought into use for cleaning animal skin, as per DigVentures, the UK-based archaeological business that oversaw the dig. Beetle wings and freshwater snail shells were also discovered preserved at the site alongside the mammoths, adding to the rich trove collected from the site. The Steppe mammoths were known to grow up to 13.1 feet tall, but the found remains were modest, indicating that their size had shrunk.
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According to Lisa Westcott Wilkins, the co-founder of DigVentures, ‘finding mammoth bones is always extraordinary, but finding ones that are so old and well preserved, and in such close proximity to Neanderthal stone tools is exceptional’.
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