Men of the Old Stone Age: Their Environment, Life and ArtOsborn, Henry Fairfield
History
Men of the Old Stone Age: Their Environment, Life and Art
Osborn, Henry Fairfield
Art, Primitive; Prehistoric peoples; Stone age
At Solutré and other stations implements of bone are also found, although
by no means of such frequent occurrence as in the later divisions of the
Solutrean. While the most easterly Solutrean stations of Hungary exhibit
no bone implements, these are abundant at Předmost, in Moravia, where the
culture altogether is of an advanced Aurignacian type, with the Solutrean
retouch used in the shaping of its flint spear heads. The bone industry
includes a number of awls and smoothers, as well as numerous 'bâtons de
commandement.' On this level at Předmost a few works of art are found
consisting of the representations of four animals sculptured on nodules of
limestone, the subjects apparently being reindeer, and also of one single
engraving on bone.
The chief invention of the _late Solutrean_ is the 'shouldered point'
(_pointe à cran_), a single notched and very slender dart. These notches
are the first indication of the value of the barb in holding a weapon in
the flesh. Here also is a _stem_ for the attachment of the shaft of the
dart. In earlier stages of the Solutrean one finds flints where the
unsymmetrical base of the 'point' shows a small obtuse tongue or stem. The
elongate peduncle at the base of such spear heads (_pointes à soie_) is
developed into the _pointe à cran_, or shouldered point, made of long,
fine flakes, with a short retouch on one or both sides, and found in the
late Solutrean at the grotto of Lacave, at Placard, and at many of the
stations in Dordogne. No example of the _pointe à cran_ has ever been
found at the type station of Solutré, but it is of frequent occurrence at
the stations between the Loire and the Cantabrian Pyrenees, being found
at Altamira, at Laugerie Haute, at Monthaud (Indre), in Chalosse and
Charente, while the great cave of Placard has yielded no less than 5,000
specimens, whole and broken.
[Illustration: FIG. 172. Typical Solutrean implements of the chase, of
fishing, and of industry. After de Mortillet. 131, 132. A laurel-leaf
point retouched on both sides. 133-138. Various forms of the _pointe à
cran_, or 'shouldered point,' a type distinctive of the late Solutrean. It
has an elongated peduncle or stem at one side adapted for the attachment
of a wooden shaft, and was probably an implement of the chase, being
suitable for fishing or for hunting small game. The examples figured show
a great variety of finish and retouch. 137 is from Placard and 138 from
the _Grottes de Grimaldi_. 139. _Poinçon_, or awl, beautifully shaped.
140. _Perçoir_, drill or borer. 141. Flake retouched on one border,
recalling the style of the Aurignacian points. 142, 143. Finely retouched
points, suitable for engraving or etching. All the flints are shown
one-half actual size.]
At Monthaud there are also found bone implements including a number of
_poinçons_ (awls) and a series of _sagaies_ (javelin points). Solutrean
sagaies, however, are very rare and very primitive as compared with the
Magdalenian.
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