Man and the Glacial PeriodWright, G. Frederick (George Frederick)
History
Man and the Glacial Period
Wright, G. Frederick (George Frederick)
Glacial epoch; Prehistoric peoples
The discovery of the remains of man in the high-level river-gravels
deposited near the close of the Glacial period led to a revision of the
evidence which had from time to time been reported connecting the remains
of man with those of various extinct animals in cave deposits both in
England and upon the Continent.
_The British Isles._
As early as 1826, Rev. J. MacEnery, a Roman Catholic priest residing
near Torquay, in Devonshire, England, had made some most remarkable
discoveries in a cavern at Kent's Hole, near his home; but, owing to his
early death, and to the incredulity of that generation of scientific
men, his story was neither credited nor published till 1859. About this
time, a new cave having been discovered not far away, at Brixham, the
best qualified members of the Royal Society (Lyell, Phillips, Lubbock,
Evans, Vivian, Pengelly, Busk, Dawkins, and Sanford) were deputed to see
that it was carefully explored. Mr. Pengelly, who had had twenty years'
experience in similar explorations, directed and superintended the work.
Every portion of the contents was examined with minutest care. Kent's
Hole is "180 to 190 feet above the level of mean tide, and about 70 feet
above the bottom of the valley immediately adjacent."[CZ] In one chamber
the excavation was about sixty feet square. The contents were arranged in
the following order:
[Footnote CZ: Dawkins's Cave-Hunting, p. 325.]
[Illustration: Fig. 78.--Mouth of Kent's Hole.]
1. A surface of dark earth a few inches thick, containing Roman pottery,
iron and bronze spear-heads, together with polished stone weapons. There
were, too, in this stratum bones of cows, goats, and horses, mingled with
large quantities of charcoal.
2. Below this was a stalagmite floor from one to three feet thick, formed
by the dripping of lime-water from the roof.
3. Under this crust of stalagmite was a compact deposit of red earth,
from two to thirteen feet thick.[DA] Flint implements of various kinds
and charcoal were also found at different depths; also an awl, or
piercer; a needle with the eye large enough to admit small pack-thread;
and three harpoon-heads made out of bone and deer's horn.
[Footnote DA: Dawkins's Cave-Hunting, p. 326; Lyell's Antiquity of Man,
p. 101.]
4. Flint implements were also obtained in a conglomerate (breccia) still
below this. The fossil bones in this cave belonged to the same species of
animals as those discovered in a cave near Wells.
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