The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1864-06-10
The Antiquity OF Man Papers Before
the Paris Academy.

Galignani of March 10, has the fol-
lowing OF all the papers presented to
the Academy Of Sciences on the An
tiquitv of Man, there is none, we ven
turc to say; so peremptorily decisive of
the question rs that presented last week
by NM Lariet and Christy, confirming
the opinion that the human race was in
existence during the diluvian period
The above gentlemen having. during
the latter part of 1863 visited the dis
trict of Sarlet, in the department Of the
DodOgne, explored among other places,
the GrOtte des Eyzies situated at thirty
five metres above the smallstream called
the Boune; here, under a breecia. COW
ering the whole floor Of the cavern,
they found a convection Of broken
bones ashes, cinders, and a vast num-
Der Of flint implements So far there
was nothing very extraordinary, but on
searching further they discovered other
implements and weapons made Of the
antlers of the reindeer the animal Of
all others hitherto considered, and not
without reason, to have inhabited
France during the diluvian Or drift pc
Rod that is, long before our earliest
historical ages.
The explorers had previously ascer-
tanned that there was no sign OF the soil
having been moved at a later period
bones and series Of vertebrr Of the
reindeer were firmly imbedded in the
breecia But this is not all; among the
implements found there were some
which testified a degree Of civilization
far beyond any that might have been
suspected to exist at so remote a period,
viz needles made out Of the substance
of the reindeers antlers, with eyes to
receive the thread marks Of sharp in
strumcnt5 In the bones, showing that
the sinews had been cut in order to
make them into threads, a practice ex-
listing among the EsgulmauX TO this
day, and lastly, aculptured antlers Of
no mean execution. our authors espe-
cially describe one in which the artist
has shown wonderful taste in adapting
the form Of an animal to the shape Of
a handle, forming part Of q kind Of a
dagger, the blade Of which is made Out
of an autler Considering that the ar
list had nothing but sharp flint az bis
command, the execution Of this piece Of
art is quite astonishing, the hind legs
Of the animal represented follow the
blade the fore legs are bent under the
belly, and the head forms q curve on
the back, which completes the handle
Another curious Circumstance con:
nected with this piece is, that this ham
die is much too small for a hand Of the
present day Can it be that the print
tive race was inferior in size to the
present one 2 This would be contrary
to the traditions Of the most ancient
nations, which generally represent our
foreiathers as being Of gigantic stature.
As to the age when the reindeer inhab-
tied France, our authorities admit that
all IS conjecture, but thar none Of the
ancient authors mention or describe
the reindeer that Cesar only speaks
OF it from hearsay; that the figure Of
the reindeer is not 70 be met with on
the ancient Gallo coins. that the
crOmlech5 Of the Celts have never been
found to contain any remains Of this
animal that none have been discover
ed IN the turfbeds Of France, nor in the
lacustral settlements OF Switzerland
Hence there is every reason TO suppose .
that the existence Of the reindeer i'm /
France was confined to a period Of +
which no record exists, that that .
period was the diluvian one aud that .
man inhabited the earth many centu- .
ries before the time usually assigned 20 .
his first appearance
At the same meeting n de Vibraye .
sent in a paper in which he presented +
some new facts:
We have seen primitive men armed .
with fiints; 81 de Nibraye shows that
although he has no knowledge Of met +
allurgy, he was well aware Of the exist .
snce OF metals. although the drift strata
Is not metaliferous. la the gr0tt0es Of (
Arcy (Ioanel containing the bones Of !
.he extinct Drsl SDeigas, or FOSSIL bear,
bar author found iragmentof hydrate +
ron, exactly similar 70 a specimen dis