Reindeergrazing,fromtheThayngenCave。
Therepresentationofthehumanfigureisextremelyrare。Ihavealreadymentionedtheyoungmantryingtostrikeanaurochswhichisrunningawayfromhim;andthewomanwearinganecklace。TheformerFig。45,foundatLaugerie,isengravedonapieceofreindeerantlerabouttwenty-fivecentimetreslong。Theaurochswithitsheaddownandquantitiesofbristlinghair,widelyopennostrils,archedandupliftedtail,presentstheappearanceofaterrifiedanimalendeavoringtoescapethedangerthreateningit。Themanisnaked,andhasaroundhead,hishairisstiffandseemstostanduponthetopofhisskull;onthechinashortbeardcanclearlybemadeout;
thefaceexpressesthedelightandexcitementofthechase。Theneckislong,thearmshort,andthespineofunusuallength。Intheotherexampleoftherepresentationofthehumanfigure,thatofthewomanwearinganecklace,drawnonapieceofashoulder-bladeofareindeer,sheisseenlyingbyastag,andwouldseemtobeinanadvancedstateofpregnancy。Thepieceofbonehoweverisbroken,andtheheadofthewomanislost,whichofcoursegreatlylessensthevalueoftherelic。
HeadofOVIBOSMOSCHATUSengravedonwood,foundintheThayngenCave。
Youngmanchasingtheaurochs,fromLaugerie。
OnafragmentofastaffofofficefromtheMadeleineCaveisengravedamanbetweentwohorses’headsFig。46。Onareindeerantlerisrepresentedawomanwithflatbreastsandveryhighhips,followedbyaserpent;ashellfromthecragnearWalton-on-the-Nazehadahumanfaceroughlyengravedononeside。TheAbby,Bourgeois,intheexcavationssofruitfulofresultsatRochebertier,foundaroughcarvingofahumanfaceFig。47;M。PietteatMasd’Azilfoundalittlebustofawoman,carvedontherootofthetoothofahorse。Thisstatuettehadalowforehead,aprominentnose,aretreatingchin,andbreastsofthenegresstypeofthepresentday;
characteristicsquiteunlikethoseoftheskeletonstakenfromthiscaveorthosenearit。Wewonderwhethertheartistmeanttorepresentthefeaturesofaraceotherthanhisown。[108]M。duBouchetmentionsaroughsketchengravedonaflintdiscoverednearDax;theworkman,doubtlessdauntedbythedifficultiesofhistask,hadabandoneditunfinished。Itis,however,easytotellwhatitwasmeantfor。Theskullislowandflat,thenosebutslightlyprominent,theeyesareoblique,andneitherthemouthnorthechinarefinished。ThemagnificentcollectionoftheMarquisdeVibrayecontainsalittlefigurefromLaugerie,representinganudewomanwithoutarms。Thinandstiff,sheischieflyremarkablefortheexaggeratedsizeofthesexualorgans,andforsomepeculiarprotuberancesontheloins。Wedwellupontheformerpeculiarity,becauseitissofarextremelyrare,whereascertainrelicsoftheGreeksandRomans,inspiteofthecomparativelyadvancedcivilizationofthesetwogreatraces,aresuchthattheycanonlybeexhibitedinprivatemuseums。Suchdepravityasthisimplieswasthenquiteanexceptionamongthecave-men,andbutfortheoneexampleIhavejustmentioned,IhavenophallicrepresentationstorefertoexceptthefewfromtheMassenatcollection,whichwereshownattheExhibitionof1889。
Fragmentofastaffofoffice,fromtheMadeleineCave。
Humanfacecarvedonareindeerantler,foundintheRochebertierCaveCharente。
WemustnotclosethisaccountofthearteffortsofthemenoftheStoneagewithoutmentioningtheremarkablediscoverybyM。Siette,offlintscoveredwithlinesandgeometricaldesignscoloredwithredchalk。Thesearetheveryearliestexamplesoftheartofpaintingwhichhavehithertocometoourknowledge。TheybearwitnesstoaremarkableprogressmadebyourremoteancestorsofthevalleysofthePyrenees。
WecannotmoreappropriatelyclosethischapterthanbyquotingthemagnificentverseofLucretius,whichbringsbeforeus,betterthancouldalongdescription,theconditionofthesemen,andthehumblestarting-pointfromwhichhumanityhasadvancedtoachieveitsimmortaldestiny:
NecdumresigniscibanttractarenequeutiPellibusetspoliiscorpusvestireferarum,SednemoraatquecaveosmonteissylvasquecolebantEtfruticesintercondebantsqualidamembraVerberaventorumvitareimbreisquecoactei。[109]
Caves,Kitchen-Middings,LakeStations,“Terremares,“Crannoges,Burghs,“Nurhags,““Talayoti,“and“Truddhi。“
Theearliestracesofmenlivedinaclimatelessrigorousthanours,ontheshoresofwiderivers,inthemidstoffertiledistricts,wherefishingandthechaseeasilysuppliedalltheirneeds。Theseraceswerenumerousandprolific,andwefindtracesofthemalloverWesternEurope,fromNorfolktothemiddleofSpain。Whatwerethehomesofthesemenandtheirfamilies?Didtheycrouchindens,asTacitussaystheGermantribesdidinhisday?Inhis“AncientWiltshire,“SirR。CoaltHoaresaysthattheearliesthumanhabitationswereholesdugintheearthandcoveredoverwiththebranchesoftrees。NearJoignytherestillremainsomecircularholesintheground,aboutfiftyfeetindiameterbysixteentotwentydeep,knowninthecountryunderthenameofBUVARDS。Thetrunkofatreewasfixedatthebottomandroseabovetheground,andthebranchesplasteredwithclayformedtheroof。TheflooroftheseBUVARDSconsistsofagreasyblackearthmixedwithbones,cinders,charcoal,andworkedflints。Amongstthelastnamed,polishedhatchetspredominate,whichprovesthattheserefugeswereinhabitedinNeolithictimes,butthereisnothingtopreventoursupposingthattheywerealsooccupiedinthePalaeolithicperiod。Ameghinogivesastillmorestrikingexampleofanearth-dwelling。NearMercedes,abouttwentyleaguesfromBuenosAyres,hepickedupnumeroushumanbones,togetherwitharrow-heads,chisels,flintknives,bonestilettosandpolishers,andbonesofanimalsscratchedandcutbyman。Later,Ameghinodiscoveredtheactualdwellingofthisprimevalman,andhisstrangehomewasbeneaththecarapaceofagiganticarmadillo,thenowextinctglyptodonseeninFig。48。
Theglyptodon。
“Allaroundthecarapace,“saysAmeghino,“inthereddishagglomerateoftheoriginal。soillaycharcoalcinders,burntandsplitbones,andflints。Diggingbeneaththis,aflintimplementwasfound,withsomelongsplitllamaandstagbones,whichhadevidentlybeenhandledbyman,withsometoxodonandmylodonteeth。“Fig。49representsthenowextinctmylodon。Sometimeafterwards,thediscoveryofanothercarapaceundersimilarconditionsaddedweighttoAmeghino’ssupposition。[110]Inthemidstofthepampas,thosevasttreelessplains,wherenorockoraccidentofconformationaffordsshelterfromheatorcoldorahiding-placefromwildbeasts,manwasnotataloss;hehollowedoutforhimselfaholeintheearth,roofingitoverwiththeshellofaglyptodon,andsecuringaretreatwherehecouldbesafeatleastforatime。
Mylodonrobustus。
Itwasnotuntillater,driventodosobythecold,thatmanlearnttousethenaturalcaveshollowedoutinlimestonerocks,eitheringeologicalconvulsionsorbythequieteractionofwater。TheabsenceinthecaveswhichhavebeenexcavatedinAmericaofimplementsoftheChelleentype,themostancientknownasyet,wouldpointtothisconclusion,thoughitisimpossibletofixtheearliestdateoftheiroccupation。Thisdate,moreover,variesverymuchindifferentlocalities。Theearthwasbutgraduallypeopled,andourancestorspenetratedintodifferentcountriesinsuccessivemigrations。SomecaveshaverecentlybeendiscoveredinWales,inthemidstofGlacialdeposits。[111]TheBoulderClayandmarinedriftonneighboringheightsareincontrovertibleproofsofthesubmergenceofthisregion,whenGreatBritainwasalmostcompletelycoveredwithice。Excavationsmadein1886havebroughttolightaseriesofdeposits,oneabovetheother,thegravelandredearthcontainingQuaternarybonesandworkedflints,whilstthestalagmiteandoozeareevidentlyofmorerecentorigin。ThisistheusualstateofthingsinalltheEnglisheaves;butinthoseoftheClyde,thebonebedshadbeendisturbedandmixedwithstriatedpebblesandGlacialdrift。FromthisHicks,whosuperintendedtheexcavations,concludedthatmanandtheQuaternaryanimalshadlivedinthosecavesbeforetheGlacialepoch,andbeforethegreatsubmergence,whichinsomeplaceswasnolessthansome1,300
feetbelowthepresentlevelofthesea。Ifthiswereso,itwouldbeoneofthemostancientproofsnotonlyofthepresenceofman,butalsoofthekindofhabitationhefirstdweltin。Theseconclusionshave,however,beenhotlydisputed。M。Arcelin[112]remarksthatthereareinEnglandtwoexceptionalgeologicallandmarks,theForestBedrepresentingthelastPlioceneformations,andtheRiverGravels,whicharethemostancientQuaternarydeposits。Betweenthetwo,wefindtheBoulderClayofGlacialorigin。NowthefaunaofthecavesoftheClyde,farfromresemblingthatoftheForestBed,appearstobemorerecentthanthatoftheancientdepositsoftheRiverGravels。AmongstthisfaunawefindneithertheELEPHASANTIQUUSnortheRHINOCEROSMERCKII;the
workedflintsarenotlikethoseknownasbelongingtotheRiver-Graveltype,buttherelicsmorenearlyresemblethoseoftheReindeerperiodofFrance。Itisthereforeimpossible,inthepresentstateofourknowledge,toassertthatmanlivedinthesouthwestofEnglandintheGlacialepoch,tothephenomenaofwhich,ifhewitnessedthem,hemusteventuallyhavefallenavictim。
Ourancestorsmustconstantlyhavedisputedthepossessionoftheircavesofrefugewithanimals,butthereisoftenacertaindistinctionbetweenthosechieflyoccupiedbymanandthemeredensofwildbeasts。Thelatteraregenerallymoredifficultofaccess,andareonlytobeenteredbylong,low,narrow,darkpassages。Thosepermanentlyinhabitedbymanarewide,notverydeep,andtheyarewelllighted。ThatatMontgaudier,forinstance,hasanarchedentrancesomeforty-fivefeetwidebyeighteenhigh。Thecave-menhadalreadylearnttoappreciatetheadvantagesofairandlight。
Thecavesareoftenofconsiderableheight;thatofMassatissome560feethigh,thatofLhermis655,thatofBouichetanearly755,thatofLoubens820,andthatofSanthenayis,asmuchas1,344
feethigh。ThoseofEyzies,Moustier,andAurignacarealsoverylofty。AsthevalleyswerehollowedoutbytherushingtorrentsoftheQuaternaryfloods,mensoughtahomenearthewaterswhichwereindispensabletotheirexistence,andcametodwellontheshoresofrivers。Themostancientoftheinhabitedcaves,therefore,arethoseonthehighestlevels,butthedifferenceinthenatureofthecountryandthevaryingforceofgeologicalactionhaveledtosomanyexceptions,thatallwecansaywithanycertaintyisthatthecaveswereinhabitedatdifferentepochs。ThatofMontgaudier,forinstance,wasfilledwithanaccumulationofoozeaboutfortyfeetthick。Weaponsandtoolslayoneabovetheotherfromthebottomtothetop,anditiseasytodistinguishthesuccessionofhearthsbytheblackenedearth,cinders,charcoal,andcrushedboneslyingaboutthem。
InthePlacardCaveeightdifferentdepositsbearwitnesstothepresenceofman;andtheseareseparatedbyothersbareoftracesofhumanoccupation。Thelowestdeposit,whichissometwenty-fivefeetbelowthepresentlevelofthesoil,containsworkedflintsoftheMousterientype,abovewhich,butseparatedbyanaccumulationofDEBRISwhichhasfallenfromtheroof,comesalayerinwhichwasfoundanumberofarrow-headsoftheshapeoflaurelleaves。Thefaunaofboththeselevelsincludesthereindeer,thehorse,andtheaurochs。Aswegoupwefind,aboveanotherlayerofDEBRIS,theSolutreentypeoftoolsandweaponsrepresentedbyboneimplementsandnumerousarrow-heads,thistimestalkedandnotched。ThefourfollowinglevelscorrespondwiththosebelongingtowhatisknownastheMadeleinetype,andthearrow-headsaredecoratedwithgeometricaldesigns。Thetracesofhumanoccupationatdifferenttimes,doubtlessseparatedbylongintervals,arethereforeveryclearlydefined。TheFontabertCave,inDauphine,contained,atadepthofaboutsixfeet,tracesoffireandroughlyworkedflints,andaboutthreefeetbelowthesurfacelaytheskeletonofaman,whohadperhapsbeenovertakenbyafallofearth,stillholdinginhishandapolisheddipperoffineworkmanship。Yetathirdandevidentlymorerecentperiodischaracterizedbyajadecrescent。Wemighteasilymultiplyinstancesofasimilarkind,butthatwewishtoavoidsomuchrepetition。
Wesoonbegintofindevidenceoftheprogressmadebyman,andthoughinNeolithictimeshestillcontinuedtooccupycaveshelearnedtoadaptthembettertohisneeds。TherocksheltersofthePetit-Morinvalley,sowellexploredbyM。deBaye,arethebestexampleswecangive。
Thesecavesarehollowedoutofaverythickbeltofcretaceouslimestone。Theydatefromdifferentepochs,andeachpresentsspecialcharacteristicswhichcaneasilyberecognized。Somewereusedasburial-places,othersashabitations。Intheformertheentranceisofirregularshape,thewallsareroughlycut,andtheworkisofthemostelementarydescription。Thesepulchraleavesweresimplyclosedbyalargestonerolledintoplaceandcoveredwithrubbish,thebettertohidetheentrance。Thesheltersusedtoliveinshowmuchmorecarefulwork,andaredividedintotwounequalpartsbyawallcutinthelivingrock。Togetintothesecondpartitiononehastogodownsteps,cutinthelimestone,andthesestepsarewornwithlongusage。Theentrancewascutoutofamassivepieceofrock,leftthickonpurpose,andoneithersideoftheopeningtheedgesstillshowtherabbetwhichwastoreceivethedoor。Twosmallholesontherightandleftwereprobablyusedtofixabaracrossthe