Found in Ukraine, the fragments show signs of human manipulation—though researchers still haven’t ruled out the possibility that they were shaped by natural forces
Sarah Kuta - Daily Correspondent
April 21, 2025
Archaeologists have unearthed mysterious 400,000-year-old artifacts made from mammoth tusks that may be the oldest human-made ivory objects ever found. They describe their findings in a recent paper published in the International Journal of Osteoarchaeology.
During excavations at a site in Ukraine’s Southern Bug Valley, researchers discovered 24 ivory fragments, as well as artifacts made of flint and quartz. At the Lower Paleolithic site, known as Medzhibozh A, they also found the remains of horses, woolly rhinoceroses and large wild cats.
Based on the site’s age and location, the team suspects it was once inhabited by a human ancestor called Homo heidelbergensis. But they haven’t found any evidence yet to confirm this hunch.
Researchers were especially interested in the ivory fragments, so they brought them back to their lab and looked at them under a microscope. They also conducted a 3D analysis.
“The study of the ivory began without a specific hypothesis, but their unusual characteristics, indicative of intentional modification, prompted closer examination,” says lead author Vadim Stepanchuk, a researcher at the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, per Phys.org’s Sandee Oster.
Their analysis suggests that 14 of the fragments were created by humans. The artifacts show signs of various shaping techniques, including one that likely involved placing the ivory on a rock anvil and using another rock to chip away flakes. They were probably made from the tusks of a mammoth species called Mammuthus trogontherii.
More:
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/are-these-mysterious-400000-year-old-artifacts-the-oldest-ivory-objects-made-by-humans-180986447/


("Bug" river is also spelled "Buh" river, Google images indicate, according to some photos.)