Archaeological investigations at the legendary Kostenki have been underway for 145 years. With each season, this area on the banks of the Don — unique in its nature and historical context — continues to surprise researchers with new discoveries. One of the brightest examples is the Kostenki-11 site, also known as Anosovka 2.
In 1949 a local resident, Ivan Ivanovich Protopopov, quite unexpectedly made an invaluable find — while digging a cellar he uncovered a dense accumulation of mammoth bones. The discovery of this simple villager did not go unnoticed, and the prominent archaeologist Alexander Nikolaevich Rogachev, who had led excavations at Kostenki for many years, decided not only to study the site but also to carefully conserve it to preserve it for future generations.
Thus began a truly unique project — excavation and simultaneous conservation of the ancient dwelling, uncovered in 1960–1965. The revealed structure turned out to be a real treasure — a wooden-and-bone construction 9 meters in diameter, surrounded by storerooms for preserving supplies. It was an entire system of storage and living spaces of prehistoric hunter-gatherers, preserved almost intact. It is hardly surprising that this site aroused enormous scientific interest and became the foundation for creating a unique museum.
Research in 2024
Another stunning discovery awaited researchers more than half a century later. In 2014 archaeologists uncovered an astonishing circular structure 12.5 meters in diameter, built from 51 lower jaws and 64 mammoth skulls. Why would ancient people build this gigantic "temple of bones"? A ritual structure or a utilitarian facility? This is the mystery that researchers continue to grapple with to this day.
Kostenki 11 conceals many secrets, and each new season reveals further evidence of prehistoric life: from everyday tools to breathtaking examples of Upper Paleolithic art. It is precisely this scale that inspires new generations of archaeologists to study this unique site.
Research in 2024
This year the study of the Upper Paleolithic site is overseen by the research staff of the Kostenki museum-reserve under the direction of chief curator Alexander Yevgenyevich Dudin. Excavations are being carried out by researchers from Terra LLC. They are thoroughly studying the area around the grand 12-meter mammoth-bone construction. Although many artifacts have not yet been found, priceless witnesses of past epochs continue to surface from the ground. Very recently, a magnificently preserved mammoth tusk was discovered lying in close proximity to a specially erected hangar. This remarkable specimen of "mammoth bone" perfectly characterizes the richness and diversity of finds concealed in the area under study.
Each new season of excavations at Kostenki brings scientists further astonishing discoveries.
Research in 2024
