A team of OeAW archaeologists discovered the remains of at least five mammoths during excavations north-east of St. Pölten. Stone tools, dismembered bones and tusk fragments indicate the utilisation of the meat and the processing of ivory by mammoth hunters 25,000 years ago.

A sensational find sheds new light on the life of hunters shortly before the peak of the last Ice Age: in Langmannersdorf an der Perschling in Lower Austria, between St. Pölten and Tulln, archaeologists from the Austrian Archaeological Institute at the Austrian Academy of Sciences have discovered large quantities of mammoth bones and stone tools. The finds date from around 25,000 years ago, when humans and mammoths met in this region.

Two find zones several metres in size with densely packed mammoth bones were found just 15 metres apart. Here the bones lie in several layers on top of each other, and stone tools were found between them. Different activities can be reconstructed for the two areas: In one, the dismemberment of at least two mammoths can be recognised. In the second, the remains of at least three animals were discovered, including complete and fragmented tusks. This indicates that ivory was processed here – possibly for the manufacture of projectile point of mammoth ivory, as was common in this period.

A hunting ground of the ice age

»The fact that we are not just finding individual bones here, but intensively used areas in which several animals were processed, has more than exceeded our expectations,« explains Marc Händel from the Austrian Archaeological Institute of the Austrian Academy of Sciences. The new discoveries provide valuable insights into the hunting and living habits of the people of this period.

Shortly before the peak of the last ice age, mammoth herds still roamed the landscapes of Central Europe. They used the Perschling Valley near Langmannersdorf for migration and grazing. The finding suggests that the people of this time knew the habits of the animals very well and used this knowledge for their hunting expeditions. The success of these hunts can still be seen today in the numerous mammoth bones and stone tools that have been found.

Initial research and new discoveries

At 25,000 years old, Langmannersdorf is the youngest site with large quantities of mammoth bones in Central Europe. Alongside Willendorf and Krems, it is one of the most internationally recognised Palaeolithic sites in Austria. Hugo Obermaier and Alois Stummer from the Natural History Court Museum carried out the first excavations in the Lower Austrian community between 1904 and 1907. More systematic investigations followed in 1919/20 under the direction of Josef Bayer, who discovered two camps of mammoth hunters.

Now, over a hundred years later, the research is continuing. In February 2025, new excavations began under the direction of the Austrian Archaeological Institute. Modern interdisciplinary methods are being used: in addition to the analysis of stone tools and butchery traces, ancient DNA and stable isotopes on the teeth and bones of the mammoths are being examined, and radiometric age determinations and palaeodemographic modelling are being carried out. Palaeoenvironmental reconstructions help to better understand the living conditions at that time.

The bones and stone tools are currently being scientifically processed at the branch of the Austrian Archaeological Institute of the Austrian Academy of Sciences in Krems. The finds will then be transferred to the Natural History Museum in Vienna.  A selection will also be exhibited in the Perschling Museum of Local History.

European network of mammoth research

The excavations in Langmannersdorf are part of the European research project MAMBA (»Exploring Mammoth Bone Accumulations in Central Europe«). MAMBA is investigating mammoth bone accumulations at sites in Poland, the Czech Republic and Austria. The aim of the project is to learn more about the hunting and utilisation of mammoths by humans and to trace the development of mammoth populations. Research also includes the analyses of climatic and ecological changes between 35,000 and 25,000 years ago.

The work was made possible through the mediation of the municipality of Perschling and the kind permission of the landowner Erwin Engelhart.