Early human settlements

in the Arctic

The carcass of a frozen mammoth with signs of weapon-inflicted injuries suggests humans were present in the Eurasian Arctic 45,000 years ago – ten millennia earlier than previously thought

HUMAN SETTLEMENT

ICE SHEET EXTENT

Known northernmost Eurasian

Maximum extent at around

60,000 years ago

Paleolithic sites aged over 40,000 BP*

Last Glacial Maximum†

(20,000 years ago)

Early modern human

fossil dated to 45,000 BP

ARCTIC

OCEAN

Chukchi

Sea

Bering

Sea

70°N

Laptev

Sea

Sea of

Okhotsk

SIBERIA

50°N

Lake

Baikal

1,000km

620 miles

Sopochnaya Karga (SK) mammoth kill

site in central Siberian Arctic, expands

human populated area before 40,000

years ago, from 57°N to almost 72°N

Advancements in mammoth

hunting likely facilitated arrival

of humans to New World

before Last Glacial Maximum

SK Mammoth:

Injuries on tusk (1),

jugal bone (2), mandible (3),

scapula (4), and ribs (5),

include dents likely from

sharp weapon tips such

as thrusting spears

4

2

5

3

1

5

Fifth

Tusk tip viewed from

different sides

left rib:

Injury

caused

by

slicing

blow

10cm

1cm

1

Right tusk:

Tip of tusk shows

evidence that thin subparallel spalls were

removed, presumably to produce long thin

slivers of ivory with sharp edges to use

as butchering tools

*Before

Present

Tusk

20cm

†Earth’s last

glacial period

when ice sheets

were at greatest extension

Source: Science Magazine

Pictures: Pitulkov et al., Science (2016)

© GRAPHIC NEWS

Early human settlements

in the Arctic

The carcass of a frozen mammoth with signs of weapon-inflicted injuries suggests humans were present in the Eurasian Arctic 45,000 years ago – ten millennia earlier than previously thought

HUMAN SETTLEMENT

Known northernmost Eurasian

Paleolithic sites aged over 40,000 BP*

Early modern human fossil

dated to 45,000 BP

ICE SHEET EXTENT

Maximum extent at

around 60,000 years ago

Last Glacial Maximum†

(20,000 years ago)

ARCTIC

OCEAN

70°N

SIBERIA

50°N

1,000km

620 miles

Sopochnaya Karga (SK)

mammoth kill site in central

Siberian Arctic, expands

human populated area

before 40,000 years ago,

from 57°N to almost 72°N

Advancements in

mammoth hunting

likely facilitated arrival

of humans to New

World before Last

Glacial Maximum

SK Mammoth:

Injuries on tusk (1), jugal bone (2),

mandible (3), scapula (4), and ribs (5),

include dents likely from

sharp weapon

tips such as

thrusting

spears

4

2

5

3

1

5

Fifth

left rib:

Injury caused

by slicing blow

Tusk tip viewed

from different

sides

10cm

1cm

1

Right tusk:

Tip of tusk

shows evidence that thin

subparallel spalls were

removed, presumably to produce

long thin slivers of ivory with sharp

edges to use as

butchering tools

*Before

Present

Tusk

20cm

†Earth’s last glacial

period when ice sheets

were at greatest extension

Source: Science Magazine

Pictures: Pitulkov et al., Science (2016)

© GRAPHIC NEWS

Early human

settlements

in the Arctic

The carcass of a frozen mammoth with signs of weapon-inflicted injuries suggests humans were present in the Eurasian Arctic 45,000 years ago – ten millennia earlier than previously thought

HUMAN SETTLEMENT

Known northernmost Eurasian

Paleolithic sites aged over

40,000 BP (Before Present)

Early modern human fossil

dated to 45,000 BP

ICE SHEET EXTENT

Maximum extent at

around 60,000 years ago

Last Glacial Maximum†

(20,000 years ago)

Arctic

Ocean

70°N

SIBERIA

50°N

1,000km

620 miles

Sopochnaya Karga (SK)

mammoth kill site in central

Siberian Arctic, expands human

populated area before 40,000

years ago, from 57°N to 72°N

SK Mammoth:

Injuries on tusk (1),

jugal bone (2), mandible (3),

scapula (4), and ribs (5), include

dents likely from sharp weapon

tips such as thrusting spears

4

2

1

5

3

5

Fifth

left rib:

Injury caused

by slicing blow

1cm

1

Right tusk:

Tip of tusk shows

evidence that thin subparallel

spalls were removed, presumably

to produce long thin slivers of

ivory with sharp

edges to use as

butchering tools

Tusk tip

viewed from

different sides

5cm

Tusk

†Earth’s

last glacial period when ice

sheets were at greatest extension

20cm

Source: Science Magazine

Pictures: Pitulkov et al., Science (2016)

© GRAPHIC NEWS