An extraordinary discovery near Zamość. Scientists kept everything a secret for a long time

Researchers came across the mammoth bones during excavations related to the construction of the S17 expressway near Zamość (Lubelskie), GDDKiA reported. According to archaeologist Dr. Rafał Niedźwiadek, such finds are rare.

Łukasz Minkiewicz from the Lublin branch of GDDKiA reported on Thursday that researchers have found mammoth bones at an archaeological site in Łabunie . The site was selected for research by the Lublin Voivodeship Conservator of Monuments at the stage of preparing documentation for the investment. Field work began last autumn and is being carried out by APB Thor on behalf of GDDKiA.

- During the research, archaeologists found, among other things, a mammoth tusk and a fragment of a pelvis that belonged to a mammoth or a forest elephant. These remains were taken in cooperation with scientists from the Maria Curie-Skłodowska University in Lublin (from the Institute of Earth and Environmental Sciences and the Institute of Archaeology) and forwarded for further research - said Minkiewicz.

- Further research is needed to finally determine the species affiliation of the discovered bones - told PAP Dr. Rafał Niedźwiadek from the Institute of Archaeology of the Maria Curie-Skłodowska University , who participated in securing the remains.

Dr. Niedźwiadek admitted that such findings are rare.

- The remains come from the Pleistocene. The discovery was made at an archaeological site. No products from that period made by human hands have been found there so far. We should continue to search for the material remains of the "authors" of this event, i.e. the people who hunted the mammoth - he said.

Dr. Niedźwiadek said that the discovery was made a week ago, but was kept secret to prevent unauthorized people from getting in. The remains will now be examined by an interdisciplinary team with the participation of employees of the Institute of Archaeology of UMCS and the Faculty of Earth Sciences and Spatial Management of UMCS.

The Pleistocene was an epoch in Earth's history that lasted between 2.6 million and 11.7 thousand years ago. It is often popularly called the Ice Age . Mammoths inhabited northern Europe, Asia, and America until the end of the last Ice Age. They were hunted by humans, who used their tusks to build shelters, among other things. Climate change is cited as one of the causes of the extinction of these proboscideans.

So far in Łabunie - added Minkiewicz - archaeologists have examined approx. 240 ares, where they found the remains of a medieval settlement, documented and examined approx. 650 immovable objects , which they provisionally date to the early and late Middle Ages.

- Archaeologists discovered the remains of residential buildings with accompanying postholes and utility holes, as well as two wells with wooden plank casings. The research also uncovered several hundred fragments of ceramic vessels, pieces of animal bones, a few flint tools, a bone pin, an awl, and a stone quern - Minkiewicz listed.

In total, on three sections of the S17 on the Zamość Wschód-Hrebenne route with a total length of approx. 50 km, GDDKiA has planned 17 archaeological sites with a total area of ​​approx. 25 hectares.

The S17 expressway from Piaski near Lublin to the border with Ukraine in Hrebenne will be approximately 125 km long. The entire route is to be ready by 2030. Most sections will be made available to drivers at the turn of 2027 and 2028. The last sections to be launched will be between Łopiennik and Krasnystaw and from the Zamość-Sitaniec junction to the Zamość-Wschód junction.