The Book of History (Vol. 1 of 18): A History of All Nations from the Earliest Times to the PresentVarious
History
The Book of History (Vol. 1 of 18): A History of All Nations from the Earliest Times to the Present
Various
World history
The Taubach relic-bed also furnished no bones of Drift Man among all
the parts of skeletons of Drift animals that we have mentioned. Here,
too, as in the Somme valley, the proof of the presence of man is
based on the works of his hand and mind. Here, too, stone implements
and stone weapons are the chief things to be mentioned. But whereas,
in the chalk district of France, flints of every size were to be had
in the greatest abundance for the preparation of weapons and tools,
corresponding stones are not exactly wanting at the two standard
German places, though they occur in limited number and size. It is
due to this that the larger forms of flint implements, which are
most in evidence in the Somme valley, are absent at Taubach. On the
other hand, smaller “knives and flakes”--Lyell’s third form of Drift
flint implements--occur here with comparative frequency and variety
of form. Next to the usual lancet-shaped knife, worked flint flakes,
of triangular prismatic form, with sharp corners, are most numerous
at Taubach, and scrapers, chisels, awls, and the chipping-stones with
which the stone implements were produced may also be distinguished
among other things. The material for the implements was supplied by
the older Drift débris of the valley--namely, flint, flinty slate, and
quartz porphyry.
Besides the stone implements which alone were observed in the Somme
valley, still further important relics were found here in their primary
_situs_. Above all, numerous finds of charcoal and burnt bones prove
that the Drift Men of Taubach not only knew how to kindle fire, but
were also accustomed to roast the flesh of the animals they killed
in the chase. Stones and pieces of shell limestone also occur which
have become reddish and hard from the action of heat. These are to be
regarded as the floors and side-walls of the fireplaces on which the
food was then and there prepared. The animal bones, especially those
that were taken up from around the fireplace, appear in most cases to
be remains of meals. This is shown at once by the fact that bones of
young representatives of the large beasts of the chase--such as the
rhinoceros, elephant, and bear--are very frequent as compared with the
rare occurrence of full-grown animals.
[Sidenote: Hunters of the Stone Age]
[Sidenote: How Drift Man Killed the Great Animals]
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