Storage pits
Almacenamiento de alimentos en fosas
- Date
- c. 27 ka · confidence low
- Place
- Kostenki, Voronezh, Russia
- Credited to
- Homo sapiens (Gravettian)
- Field
- Tools
⚠️ Disputed: the sources disagree.
What it is
Pits dug into the permafrost next to mammoth-bone dwellings, interpreted as stores of frozen meat. The first system for preserving surplus.
The function of the pits (store, midden, hearth) remains under discussion.
What it led to
- Winter survival without continuous hunting: planning months ahead
- Seasonal settlement and base camps
- The concept of ownership over stored reserves
Built on
Made possible
- Smoking and drying of food