“Stone age” fridge uncovered
30th October 2019
AUSTRIA: Archaeologists have uncovered the remains of what appears to be a “stone-age” refrigerator.
Researchers from the Institute of Oriental and European Archeology of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW) have discovered the meat stores of hunters during excavations at Kammern-Grubgraben – one of only a few recorded sites from the end of the last glacial period (24,500 to 18,000 BCE).
According to the archaeologists, the well-preserved “meat stores” were constructed from stone slabs. This provided sufficient ventilation and protected the food from smaller carnivores such as foxes and wolves. The cooling was enabled by the glacial permafrost.
It is possible that the highly mobile hunters and gatherers used the stores to stash supplies in temporary camps, returning later to rebuild the camp and open their “stone-age” refrigerator.
