Mammoth Bones Research Articles

Geoarchaeological Excavations at the Guest Mammoth Site (8MR130), Florida, USA

In 1983, a five-page article was published in The Florida Anthropologist which reported on a submerged mammoth kill site in the Silver River near Ocala, Florida. This claim was supported by evidence consisting of a projectile point, six direct percussion flakes, and “numerous” pressure flakes found in situ with the remains of three Columbian Mammoths. In addition, three of the mammoth bones exhibited what were interpreted as cut-marks. The Guest Mammoth site was the first professional archaeological investigation on an underwater precontact site in the Americas. At the time of discovery, no locality east of the Mississippi River had yielded convincing evidence of human and megafauna interaction. For these reasons and others, the Guest Mammoth site fell into archaeological limbo. The author directed geoarchaeological investigations at the Guest Mammoth site from 2014 to 2019 to assess the standing hypothesis that the site is an intact Late Pleistocene archaeological locality. This paper evaluates the results of the original site excavations and contributes new geoarchaeological data to determine the Guest Mammoth's place in the North American archaeological record. The data presented here do not support the conclusion that the Guest Mammoth site is an unequivocal Late Pleistocene archaeological locality because the mammoth bone and artifact bearing component is not stratigraphically secure and has limited chronological control. However, the presence of datable Late Pleistocene strata and faunal material along with non-diagnostic artifacts indicate that the Silver River is worthy of further geoarchaeological inquiry for Late Pleistocene archaeological sites.

The Khakas-Altaian Mythonym Ker and the Proto-Yenissean Word for ‘Mammoth’. 1

The image of a mammoth is well known in folklore and mythological traditions of the peoples of Siberia, since people often found tusks and whole skeletons of this animal. The understanding of the mammoth as a giant fish with horns is specific for central-western Siberia. This image is most characteristic of the culture of the Kets, Selkups, Ob-Ugrians and Evenks. In the epic tales of the Altaians and the Khakas, as well as in their shamanic tradition, there is a notable image of a giant fish, ker balyq, often represented as a giant pike living underwater and underground (similarly to the mammoth-fish known among the peoples of the taiga zone). The term ker is applied in the Altai and Khakas traditions to some other mythological creatures, including mammoth bones found in the ground. The word ker is not explained from the Turkic languages and has no etymology. The epic tales of the Altaians and the Khakas featuring ker balyq reveal very good parallels with the mythological texts of the Kets, Selkups, and Khanty in which the mammoth-fish (Ket tel) appears in the place of ker balyq. Based on the Ket 1tēľ ~ Yug 1čel ‘mammoth-fish,’ it is possible to reconstruct Proto-Yeniseian *čer — a form that in the Pumpokol language should have given a regular form *kher which is obviously the source for the Altai and Khakas ker. Thus, the Altaian-Khakas ker should be considered as a borrowing from the Pumpokol *kher, and the reconstruction of Proto-Yeniseian *čer (according to S.A. Starostin) / *ťèkər (according to H. Werner) ‘mammoth-fish’ can be considered quite reliable.

Mammoth bone structures: A Comparison of Dolní Věstonice and Spadzista Street Site in Kraków

The interpretation of accumulations of mammoth bones has been a long-term subject of archaeozoological studies. As the issue is typically approached from a taphonomic perspective, the broad spectrum of represented bones, especially the presence of large, non-meat bones, is taken as evidence of the local death of animals – either through natural causes or as a consequence of hunting. The number of mandibles and lower molars are used to calculate the number of hunted individuals, as they are the most frequently represented element. However, this approach faces numerous pitfalls. Interpretations, even contradictory, always neglect some important fact, especially associations with artefacts and the living floor. In our opinion, the use of ethnohistorical knowledge could mitigate, alleviate or eliminate some of the discrepancies. The fact that these enormous bone accumulations are typical only for the Gravettian (s. lato) underscores their culturally conditioned character. A traditional source of controversial interpretations is the well-known mammoth bone heap at Kraków – St. Bronislawa Hill (Spadzista Street B+B1). Until recently, all that was known from the classic settlement agglomeration of “mammoth hunters” near Dolní Věstonice was a “large accumulation of mammoth bones” studied by B. Klíma. However, based on unpublished terrain documentation, it has recently been possible to reconstruct several other accumulations directly in the base camp in the upper part of the Dolní Věstonice I site. The various phenomena with which the bone depositions there are associated provide new impulses for additional discussions.

La cabane no 5 du site paléolithique de Gontsy (Ukraine)

The dwelling 5 is the largest of the six mammoth bone dwellings in the Gontsy Mezinian settlement (Poltava region, Ukraine). The dwelling 5 is a complex structure, consisting of a circular outer perimeter about 8 meters in diameter and a central oval structure of 4.5×3.5 m2 dimensions, separated by an intermediate area. After quickly presenting the Gontsy site, the history of the excavations, the settlement and its spatial organization, and finally the six huts, the paper develops the particular method that is the excavation of mammoth bone swelling, or rather the structure it presents, totally different from stripping a thin occupation level. It has been shown that this structure is a dwelling collapse structure, with an external and inner stratigraphy showing from bottom to top: level of occupancy/level of loess giving flowed from the walls/level bones of the walls having tipped outwards and the inside/level of fragmented bones. The outer edge is a collapsed wall built on a circle of foundation skulls, alveoli planted in the ground, mounted with large bones different depending on the location: wall skulls, mandibles, pelvis, scapulae and long bones, and consolidated by lœss extracted from adjacent pits. The central structure is an oval dwelling, about 15 m2 in area, with an accumulation of burnt bones in the center. Its walls are made up of skulls, tusks, pelvis, scapulae and long bones. In the centre, tusks and reindeer antlers come from the hut's roofing system. The intermediate area, which separates the outer edge from the central area, delivered whole or broken bones, which fell from the outer edge and the central structure. It is also a circulation area with two areas of activity marked by a concentration of stones, flint, dye, rodent bones and mammoth rib fragments. The dwelling 5 also delivered the remains of rodents (hare, marmot) and furry carnivores (polar fox, wolf). Some remains of bison and reindeer are also present. The lithic industry, by its knapping, tooling and raw materials, is no different here from other parts of the settlement and corresponds to an industry of the Mezinian. Stones, in the form of granite and shale slabs or pebbles, are significantly present and are associated with activity areas. A bone industry and adornment elements complete the inventory. The study concludes that the dwelling 5 is a structure consisting of a circular protective enclosure, an intermediate area that is a place of varied activity and a central structure, which is a collapsed swelling. The hypothesis of a ritual structure is totally contradicted by the data.

Extraction of remains of the mammoth fauna and local communities of the Arctic territories of Yakutia at the end of the 20th century

Studying the consequences of exploitation of indigenous territories is an urgent topic of modern science. This study presents the result of the research on the history of the development of a special type of resources — mammoth tusks in northern Yakutia. The paper is aimed at the analysis of impact of the new sector of the eco-nomy in the region on the local communities. It was also important to identify the sequence of the events that facilitated this development. The methodological basis of the study is represented by the historical method of ana-lyzing archival data, periodicals, and legal and scientific literature on this subject. Sources for the paper included materials from the National Archive of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), regional periodicals, as well as legal and reference materials covering this crucial stage in the development of the local indigenous communities. Despite the fact that extraction of fossil mammoth bone has been carried out for a long time, its active development began only at the end of the 20th century. The formation and progress of such a new type of mining activity has left a special impression on the development of the local population engaged in the traditional farming. Opportunities and the weak state control in this area have created favorable conditions for the emergence of a special environ-ment for economic relations. This has had a significant impact on social well-being of the local indigenous peo-ples. During this period, a special situation developed when, due to objective reasons, mammoth tusks turned from an object of natural origin that did not cause any interest into a valuable, highly sought resource. The gro-wing global demand for mammoth remains and the removal of barriers for external contacts in the Soviet Union stimulated the rapid development of the fundamentally different structure of socio-economic relations in the Arctic zone. As a result, this situation greatly influenced the state of the local indigenous communities. The areas of their traditional living became a territory of intensive development of “new resources”, which brought about real envi-ronmental and social threats, but also new opportunities. The new prospects, as well as the state unreadiness to regulate the emerging market of “wild” mammoth bone, created all conditions for the emergence of a special area of economic relations spanning the Arctic regions of Yakutia. This almost neglected factor undoubtedly had sig-nificant impact on the social well-being of the indigenous peoples living in the region at the end of the 20th century.

La cabane no 1 de Mezine : une référence pour l’architecture des cabanes en os de mammouths

The mammoth bone dwelling no 1 of the site of Mezine, excavated and dismantled in 1954–55 by I. Chovkoplass, is an emblematic and historical reference for the discovery of palaeolithic dwelling structures and in particular mammoth bone dwellings of Eastern Europe. It was the subject of synthetic publications by I. Chovkoplass (1965) and I. Pidoplichko (1969) and a reconstruction at the Museum of Zoology in Kiev. The dwelling no 1 is revised here directly from the excavation documents archived at the Institute of Archaeology NAS Ukraine. The consequences of its collapse, following its abandonment, on the spatial distribution of the mammoth bones are highlighted. The principles of its architecture are specified. And the hypotheses of elevation reconstruction are discussed in light of recent excavations of other sites with mammoth bone dwellings.

Les cabanes de type « Anosovka-Mézine » du site de Yudinovo : éléments de construction, architecture, classification

The study is focused on comparative analysis of the five dwellings of the Anosov-Mezin type from the East-Epigravettian site of Yudinovo (Bryansk region, Russia). The analysis is based on data on previously unknown structural elements and methods of installation of mammoth skulls in the basement of dwelling No 5, which were revealed during excavations in 2015–2018. Apart of this the non-utilitarian actions that accompanied the process of dwellings construction was considered. Based on the revealed differences in structural elements and features, it was suggested that the currently used concept Anosovka-Mezin type of dwellings includes two types of the circular structures made of skulls and large mammoth bones.

“He Fell in and That's How He Became a Fossil!”: Engagement With a Storytelling Exhibit Predicts Families' Explanatory Science Talk During a Museum Visit

Parent-child conversations in everyday interactions may set the stage for children's interest and understanding about science. Studies of family conversations in museums have found links to children's engagement and learning. Stories and narratives about science may spark children's interest in science topics. This study asks whether a museum exhibit that provides opportunities for families to create narratives might encourage families' explanatory science talk throughout the rest of the exhibit. The project focused on the potential impact of a hands-on story-telling exhibit, the “spin browser” embedded within a larger exhibition focused on fossilized mammoth bones—Mammoth Discovery! at Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose. Participants were 83 families with children between 3 and 11 years (mean age 7 years). We coded families' narrative talk (telling stories about the living mammoth or the fossil discovery) and connecting talk (linking the story to other nearby exhibits) while families visited the spin browser, and we also coded families' explanatory science talk at the exhibits that contained authentic fossil bones and replica bones. The parents in families who visited the spin browser (n = 37) were more likely to engage in science talk at the fossil exhibits than those in families who did not visit the spin browser (n = 46). Further, a regression analysis showed that family science talk at the fossil exhibits was predicted by parents' connections talk and children's narrative talk at the spin browser. These findings suggest that families' narratives and stories may provide an entry point for science-related talk, and encourage future study about specific links between storytelling and science understanding.

Revisiting the mammoth bone modifications from Bluefish Caves (YT, Canada)

The long-debated mammoth bone “core” and “flake” recovered from the Pleistocene loess deposit of Bluefish Cave 2 (Yukon Territory, Canada) and previously described by Cinq-Mars and Morlan (1999) are re-analyzed from a full zooarchaeological and taphonomic perspective. The core and flake are characterized by an absence of carnivore tooth marks and the presence of fresh fracture patterns and two striae potentially attributed to cultural activities. After rejection of several hypotheses involving natural causes, we state that humans were more likely responsible for the bone modifications and we support the hypothesis that a proboscidean bone technology may have been present in eastern Beringia (Alaska/Yukon Territory) sometime between ca. 28,000 and 16,000 years BP.

Molecular preservation in mammoth bone and variation based on burial environment

Biomolecules preserved in fossils are expanding our understanding of the biology and evolution of ancient animals. Molecular taphonomy seeks to understand how these biomolecules are preserved and how they can be interpreted. So far, few studies on molecular preservation have considered burial context to understand its impact on preservation or the potentially complementary information from multiple biomolecular classes. Here, we use mass spectrometry and other analytical techniques to detect the remains of proteins and lipids within intact fossil mammoth bones of different ages and varied depositional setting. By combining these approaches, we demonstrate that endogenous amino acids, amides and lipids can preserve well in fossil bone. Additionally, these techniques enable us to examine variation in preservation based on location within the bone, finding dense cortical bone better preserves biomolecules, both by slowing the rate of degradation and limiting the extent of exogenous contamination. Our dataset demonstrates that biomolecule loss begins early, is impacted by burial environment and temperature, and that both exogenous and endogenous molecular signals can be both present and informative in a single fossil.

Лексикологический комментарий к баснословным достопримечательностям России, в особенности Сибири

The paper deals with the peculiarities of the “Siberian” text of Russian and world literature in the aspect of diachrony. The author provides lexicological comments to some of the data on the natural history of Russia attached to the “Grammatica Russica” by G. V. Ludolph (1696), including many of the sights of Muscovy from the flora or fauna, minerals, ores, trade items, and so on. Among others, the Chinese medicine Temzui is mentioned, the etymology discussed in the first part of the paper. However, the focus of the first part is on the two fossil objects described by Ludolph, namely, Adamovoi kost ‘Adam’s bone’ (essentially, fossil wood) and Mammontovoi kost ‘mammoth bone’, that is, the bones or “horns” of a mammoth. In this context, the author considers the origin of Even adām ‘coal’, Yakut Adām uota ‘fire wiped out of wood’ (cf. Russian dial. derev’annyi ogon’, literally ‘wooden fire’), Russian mamont, indrik, inder, endar’ ‘fabulous beast’ and others. It is especially noted that the biblical etymology of the mammoth (from the name of the behemoth), appeared in the 18th century, finally was rejected only in the 20th century. Information is given about the typology of the mammoth designations against the background of mythological ideas about mammoth among the peoples of Siberia. The second part of the paper deals with the origin of some facts absent in Ludolph’s work: three Russian (in Siberian dialects), Yakut, and other names of people of a fantastic type (headless, etc.): miravda, chuchuna, myulen.

Наукове обґрунтування доцільності передачі території Межиріцької стоянки Шевченківському національному заповіднику

The Mezhyrich settlement is a unique vestige of prehistoric archaeology, dating back from 18 to 13 ka BP. This site is of worldwide importance due to its archaeological, anthropological, cultural value and which is an important source for revealing the issues of nature and society relationships in prehistoric times. A striking feature of the Mezhyrich settlement is the discovery of the remains of mammoth bone dwelling structures and a good state of preservation of cultural layers with faunal remains, bone, tusk and lithic artifacts. Since the discovery of the site in 1965, archaeological excavations have uncovered the remains of four Palaeolithic dwellings and a number of pits, workshops and plots of cultural layers around them. In the settlement are the remains of a fourth mammoth bone dwelling, which was discovered and partially explored by Prof. Mykhailo I. Gladkikh from the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv. In order to preserve the settlement and avoid its further destruction, it is necessary to carry out a number of site protection measures. Namely: 1) to take legal and organizational measures to address the issue of establishing a museum on the site as a subdivision of the T. Shevchenko National Reserve; 2) museification of the remains of the fourth mammoth bone dwelling, as a central element of the ‘Archaeopark of prehistoric culture’; 3) continuation of archaeological and restoration works on the remains of dwelling. The final solution to the problem of preserving the remains of Palaeolithic housing should be the construction of a stationary museum building over the dwelling and surrounding cultural layers, which would have the necessary temperature and humidity and would meet the standards of museum building. It will be problematic to preserve the Mezhyrich assemblage without further efforts in the direction of museification. After all, the exposure of a mammoth bone dwelling in the open state requires a whole set of actions, which involves the restoration of bone remains on site with a parallel archaeological study of the interior and the surrounding area. The T. Shevchenko National Reserve can realize the application of the whole complex of site protection measures and the museification of the Mezhyrich assemblage through the including of this outstanding archeological monument to its territory. Keywords: archeological monument of national value, Upper Palaeolithic, museification, reserve, site protection studies

OSTEOLOGICAL MATERIALS FROM THE HOUSEHOLD PIT 6 AT THE MEZHYRICH SETTLEMENT: INTERPRETATION OF THE FINDS

The Upper Palaeolithic settlement of Mezhyrich is located on the territory of Mezhyrich village of Kaniv district, Cherkasy region. The settlement is located on the cape formed by the valleys of the rivers Ros’ and Rosava. Palaeolithic cultural layers of the site lies 2.5—3 m below the modern surface. The site is radiocarbon dated to 15—14.3 kyr BP. using bones of several animal species, including mammoth. The remains of the structures and objects are well-preserved in the cultural layer, they contain bone, antler and ivory.
 In the last years pit 6 is household object of a particular interest. It belongs to the second household unit and is situated to the south of the second dwelling’s structure. The microstratigraphic studies of the object indicate three episodes of sediment accumulation in the pit, which correspond to the three cultural horizons of the site. As a result of the excavation we have a bright series of bone, tusk and antler artifacts. According to the cross-sections of the north and east walls, the pit is a lens-shaped (lens-like) depression with a diameter of about two meters and a depth of one meter. There were large mammoth bones by the edges of its filling.
 For the study we have chosen samples of osteological material which bear traces of human processing. As a result of the zooarchaeological analysis several main categories of the material were chosen (identified): blanks of mammoth ribs, bone tools of long bones of small/medium-sized mammals and ornaments of teeth. It allowed to find out some technological traits and to deepen the understanding of household and everyday life of Upper Palaeolithic hunters-gatherers from the Mezhyrich site. The study of the collection allows to widen the description of this site and to conclude about the life of its inhabitants.
 The research materials were used in the creation of the international training course «Nature and Society in Prehistoric Europe», supported by the European Union under the House of Europe programme: https://houseofeurope.org.ua/en.

Subsistence activities in the gravettian occupations of the Pushkari group: Pushkari I and Pushkari VIII (Pogon) (Ukraine)

In the Eastern European Plain, the Desna valley has delivered few gravettian settlements. The group of Pushkari is characterized by final gravettian occupations relied to the Last Glacial Maximum, before the maximum peak. These are the sites of Pushkari I and Pushkari VIII (Pogon). New excavations were conducted for the last decades. In order to highlight the subsistence strategies adopted by humans we proceeded to the zooarchaeological and lithic analyses of these assemblages. In both sites, the faunal spectrum is restricted, mainly composed of Mammuthus primigenius, then Equus sp., R. tarandus, Canis lupus and Vulpes vulpes/Vulpes lagopus. The skeletal preservation and mortality profile of mammoth shows that they were slaughtered and butchered by human groups. Furthermore some bones were gathered, particularly tusks, which are associated to a new dwelling structure, fireplaces and small pits. These are two of the few final Gravettian sites showing a quite developed organization of the camps. Reindeer, horse and canids could also be hunted more punctually for the exploitation of fur, fat, meat and marrow. Moreover we have an important use of bones as fuel, whose mammoth bones. According to the lithic study, this is local flint exploited to produce blades and bladelets, tool-kit contains backed points and rectangles, points of large form and burins, relied to hunting and butchering activities. The Pushkari group shows among the last occupations of the Desna valley by late Gravettian peoples of a specific ethnic group, before that the end of the Last Glacial Maximum peak marks the disappearance of late Gravettian peoples and of human populations between 19 and 16,000 BP.

Confirming a Cultural Association at the La Prele Mammoth Site (48CO1401), Converse County, Wyoming

Archaeologists have long subjected Clovis megafauna kill/scavenge sites to the highest level of scrutiny. In 1987, a Columbian mammoth (Mammuthus columbi) was found in spatial association with a small artifact assemblage in Converse County, Wyoming. However, due to the small tool assemblage, limited nature of the excavations, and questions about the security of the association between the artifacts and mammoth remains, the site was never included in summaries of human-killed/scavenged megafauna in North America. Here we present the results of four field seasons of new excavations at the La Prele Mammoth site that confirm the presence of an associated cultural occupation based on geologic context, artifact attributes, spatial distributions, protein residue analysis, and lithic microwear analysis. This new work identified a more extensive cultural occupation including the presence of multiple discrete artifact clusters in close proximity to the mammoth bone bed. This study confirms the presence of a second Clovis mammoth kill/scavenge site in Wyoming and shows the value in revisiting proposed terminal Pleistocene kill/scavenge sites.

The chronology and function of a new circular mammoth-bone structure at Kostenki 11

Abstract

Spatial organization of the open-air Middle Palaeolithic site Ketrosy 1 (middle Dniester valley): third cultural layer

The paper deals with the spatial reconstruction of the third cultural layer of the Middle Palaeolithic site Ketrosy 1 situated in the middle reaches of the Dniester river. The cultural layer exposed by N. Anisyutkin’s excavations in 1974–76 proved to be rich in stone artefacts and faunal remains. Also, remains of dwellings made from mammoth bones and tusks were revealed. During recent research, the original interpretation of this layer has been specified and complemented. To prove good preservation of the third cultural layer and its homogeneous occupation, stratigraphical, archaeostratigraphical and refitting analysis were used. To conduct density plots of different categories of finds, point pattern analysis was used. These methods helped to improve the interpretation of the third cultural layer and then compare the results with the data published by N. Anisiutkin. The research allowed the boundaries of the dwelling zone to be specified, and several accumulations of stone artefacts that differ from each other in composition to be outlined. The complex of data makes it possible to interpret the third cultural layer as a short-term site located near a flint outcrop.

Pleistocene landslides and mammoth bone deposits: The case of Dolní Věstonice II, Czech Republic

AbstractThe formation of extensive mammoth bone deposits is a characteristic feature of the large Upper Paleolithic settlements of the Moravian Gravettian (approximately 30 ky cal BP). Some of these were preferentially deposited in moist locations, possibly for reasons of hygiene and conservation. Here, we present a case of a mammoth bone deposit located in a side gully below the Dolní Věstonice II settlement, where an earlier a Pleistocene landslide temporarily created a shallow water basin. The environmental record is provided by analyses of pollen and mollusks. The structure of the osteological and archaeological assemblages suggests the use of this location as a place for storage, garbage disposal, and related activities. We suggest that the mammoth remains were transported to such places by humans either directly from nearby kill sites, or, after first selection, from the nearby settlement. We also discuss possible facilities for such transport.

The old bone project: Quality assurance on radiocarbon dating bone in the 30,000–50,000 age range at the A.E. Lalonde AMS Laboratory (Ottawa, Canada)

A quality control program was undertaken to test the merit of different techniques for the preparation of Late Pleistocene bone at the A.E. Lalonde AMS Laboratory in Ottawa (Canada). The samples studied here include a mammoth bone (S-EVA 2000) previously dated by other labs (Oxford, Kiel, Mannheim) with results ranging between 35,280 and 31,660 14C yr BP (n = 10), a bison bone (S-EVA 2001) previously dated between 47,300 and 40,200 14C yr BP (n = 9; Talamo and Richards, 2011), and our in-house background standard (Hollis Mine Mammoth, HMM). Samples were prepared in four different ways: (1) no ultrafiltration and combustion by elemental analyser (EA); (2) ultrafiltration and EA combustion; (3) no ultrafiltration and quartz tube combustion; (4) ultrafiltration and quartz tube combustion. All four methods produced dates for the S-EVA 2000 bone between 34,530 and 34,080 14C yr BP (n = 7) and consistent stable isotope data (δ13C, δ15N, C:N). Results for the HMM bone ranged from 54,600 to 46,800 14C yr BP. Further, the S-EVA 2001 was prepared without ultrafiltration and combusted on the EA, resulting in a date of 45,010 ± 460 14C yr BP. Finally, since a major challenge with dating Late Pleistocene bone is to decipher between finite and infinite ages, we report results from two years of measurement of the HMM bone, which is prepared with each bone batch. The average age of the HMM is 50,700 ± 3400 14C yr BP (n = 17) when not ultrafiltered, and 48,400 ± 2900 14C yr BP (n = 13) when ultrafiltered. Results from this study do not reinforce or negate the use of ultrafiltration, but it was determined that combustion by EA is preferred as it gives %C and %N values.

Perspectives of application of the 230Th/U method of geochronometry for determining the age of Quarternary fossil fauna of the Arctic region

Perspectives of the 230Th/U method for dating the fossil bones of mammoths, widespread in sediments of the Arctic region, are considered. Determination of uranium and thorium contents in well-preserved mammoth bone samples with known radiocarbon age was carried out and the prerequisites for the 230Th/U method were tested. It was revealed that the external and middle layers of bones can be geochemical barriers that make it difficult for dissolved uranium to enter the internal layers during post-sedimentation time. Thus, the internal layers can be attributed to conditionally closed radiometric systems. In some cases, 230Th/U age of these layers is similar to radiocarbon data. 230Th/U age in the range of 100 thousand years was obtained for the sample with the direct radiocarbon age. The results suggest that using the 230Th/U method for determining the age of mammoth bones is possible under certain conditions.