Ancient Humans Lived Inside Mammoth Bone Shelters for 400 Years, Here’s What They Looked Like

Thousands of years before stone houses or mud bricks, Ice Age humans in Ukraine were building shelters out of mammoth bones. A new study reveals that some of these structures, made from the remains of woolly mammoths, date back nearly 18,000 years. They are among the oldest known examples of humans using large animal bones as construction materials.

This new finding was carried out by a team of archaeologists from the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, who published their findings on November 21 in the journal Open Research Europe. The research draws from radiocarbon dating of nearby animal bones and detailed study of the structure’s layout and materials. While the idea of houses made from bones may seem unusual, the evidence suggests they were far more than a curiosity.

A Structure Built On Mammoth Skulls

The largest of the Mezhyrich dwellings was dated to between 18,323 and 17,839 years ago, just after the peak of the Last Glacial Maximum. According to the study released by the Open Research Europe, this Ice Age shelter likely began with a foundation of mammoth skulls and long bones, embedded vertically in the frozen ground to form a stable base. Above that, tusks and flat bones were positioned to serve as roofing elements and wind protection.

“The foundation of the shelters may have had mammoth skulls and large long bones, set vertically into the ground,” said Pavlo Shydlovskyi, co-author of the study, in comments shared with Live Science.

He added that wooden frameworks, if available, may have formed part of the walls and roof, covered by animal hides or possibly birch bark. Though none of the organic materials remain today, their role in insulation and waterproofing is strongly inferred from the design.

Temporary Homes, Used For Generations

Though large and solid, the shelters were not built to last forever. According to the study, radiocarbon dating of small animal remains located near the structure suggests that the dwelling could have been used intermittently over a period of up to 429 years. This points to a pattern of repeated seasonal use rather than permanent habitation.

Each structure is believed to have accommodated five to seven individuals, likely forming small family or kin groups. Inside, people carried out essential tasks for survival, including flint knapping, processing animal hides, and butchering small animals, as described by Shydlovskyi.

Questions Remain About Chronology

While the study lays out a strong case, not everyone’s totally sold on the timeline. François Djindjian, a specialist in Ice Age archaeology and honorary professor at the University of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, flagged the fact that the dating relies on just a handful of radiocarbon samples. That’s not nothing, but as Live Science reports, he thinks a broader range of dates from different parts of the site would paint a clearer, more reliable picture of how long these bone shelters were actually in use.

Even so, the Mezhyrich dwellings still stand out as some of the most remarkable Ice Age structures ever found. There’s something incredibly raw and human about them, turning the bones of mammoths into walls and roofs, crafting shelter from the very animals they depended on for survival.