Whale Bone Alley, Archaeological site on Yttygran Island, Russia.
Whale Bone Alley is a coastal site on Yttygran Island, in the Russian part of the Bering Sea, where hundreds of whale bones have been set upright in long rows along the shore. Jawbones, ribs, and vertebrae form a visible corridor braced with stones, with storage pits dug into the ground nearby.
Soviet archaeologists found the site in 1976 and determined that the bone structures date back to the 14th century. They were built during a period when Yupik groups actively hunted in the Bering Sea and used Yttygran Island as a base.
The site is believed to have served as a meeting point where different Yupik groups gathered for communal work and ceremonies. The rows of bones and the storage pits next to them show how people organized shared tasks and divided resources.
Yttygran Island can only be reached by boat or small aircraft, and the Arctic weather in this area can shift without much warning. Warm and waterproof clothing is a must, and planning the trip carefully in advance is strongly advised.
Some of the whale bones planted here weigh up to 300 kilograms each, yet they were carefully braced with stones to stay upright for centuries. This level of effort suggests the builders intended the site to serve repeated use over a long period of time.
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