The Meeting-Place of Geology and History — John Shaqi
The Meeting-Place of Geology and HistoryDawson, John William, Sir
Religion
The Meeting-Place of Geology and History
Dawson, John William, Sir
Deluge; Prehistoric peoples
Dupont gives lists of the animals in each layer. Those in the lower of
the anthropic layers consist of twenty-three species of quadrupeds and
some bones of birds. Among the former were the mammoth, the rhinoceros,
two species of bear, the horse, the reindeer, two other species of deer
and two bovine animals. Even the lion, the hyena and the wolf were eaten
by these people. It is interesting to note that the numerical
preponderance was in favour of the reindeer and the wild horse, though
remains were found indicating seven individuals of the mammoth, and four
of the rhinoceros, as having fallen a prey to the old hunters. In the
highest bed the number of species and the proportions of each one are
nearly the same, so that no material change in the fauna had occurred
during the occupancy of this cave. It may also be noted that while
Dupont calls this a cave of the mammoth age, the French archæologists
are in the habit of naming similar deposits those of the reindeer age.
The age of both animals was in reality the same, except that in France
the reindeer seems to have survived the mammoth, and indeed we know
this to be the fact from its continuing in the forests of Germany till
the Roman times.
This cave may serve as an example of the manner in which the men of the
palanthropic age make their appearance. Let it be observed also that
this is only one instance selected from many giving similar testimony,
and that Dupont adduces evidence to show that there may have been a
contemporary plain-dwelling people, of whom less is known than of the
troglodytes. Let it also be noted that there are other caves in Belgium,
to which we shall return later, which show how the neocosmic men
contemporary with the present fauna succeeded the men of the mammoth
age.
We may now inquire as to the physical characters of the men of this
period. It may be stated in answer to this question that two races of
men are known in the palanthropic age, both somewhat different from any
existing peoples, and known respectively as the Canstadt and Cro-magnon
races. As the latter is the most important and best known, we may take
it first, though the former may locally at least have been the older.
The valley of the little river Vezère, a tributary of the Dordogne, in
the south of France, abounding in overhanging rock-shelters, seems to
have been a favourite abode of the men of the mammoth and reindeer age.
The rock-shelter of Cro-magnon explored by Lartet is one of these, and
that of Laugerie Basse is on the opposite side of the same stream.
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