Chronology and function of a new circular mammoth bone structure from Kostenki 11

Abstract

We report on assemblages of charcoal, burnt bone and microlithic debitage retrieved by flotation from a new circular mammoth bone feature discovered at Kostenki 11-Ia, Russian Federation, the first time a mammoth bone circle has ever been systematically sampled in this way. New radiocarbon dates are used to provide the first coherent chronology for the site, revealing it as one of the oldest such features on the Russian Plain and confirming occupation of this region during Greenland Stadial 3 at the onset of the last glacial maximum. Implications for human activity within and around the mammoth bone feature are discussed.