The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-03-10

cOvcry of DaIts of FOSSIL skeleton found In
grotto Of the Neander Valley, near Dusseldorf |
on the Rhine. The particular interest which |
is attached 10 this discovery lies in the pecu
liar formation OF the skull, which seems to
throw a new lightupon the difficult and much
debated question concerning the true character
OF the hrst man. The most diverse opinions
and judgments have been offered on this occa
sion. Professor G. Fuhbrott, the actual pos
sessor OF these precious remains, consecrated to
the subject a special treatise, and several
German and English anthropoOgists expressed
thems elves TTo and con-.
The fact is that these human bones are of an
extremely high antiquity, and the abnormal
formation OF the skull points to particular
race of mankind. In this cranfum the brain
pan is OF the most unusual size, and of long
elliptiCal form. The forehead is small and fiat,
while the middle and hind parts of the Uranium
arc well developed. The skull is symmetrically
formed, and there is no reason to suppose the
very much depressed forehead to be of artificial
origin It's formation exhibits the same develop
ment OF the forehead which has frequently been
found in very old crania, and which is one of
the most striking proofs OF the influence OF
civilization upon the formation of the human
skull. The very singular formation OF the
forehead must have given to the human face an
extraordinary wild and brutlsh expression,
which might Justly recall the face of the large
srecies of monkeys. The human bones and the
skull which have been found in the Ncander
Valley surpass all hitherto discovered remains
in those particular features which point to q
rude and savage people, and may be considered
as one of the most ancient specimens OF the
aboriginal inhabitants OF Europe who preceded
| the Indo- Germanic immigrants.
BESIDES these remains OF fossil bones the atten-
tion OF naturalists has been directed during the
! past few years, to the remains belonging to the
! one age, the lake, or pdl0strldl constructions,
| ara the so.called Kitchen OfGis.
! Tire stone age comprises that very early period
! during which mans implements and weapons
| were made exclusively Of stone. Boucher de
! Perthes discovered in the valley OF the Somme,
! near Abbeville, in France, in diluvIal strata
| bar wifi ho Of bp nj
! pachyderms, a great many flint stones in the
| shape Of hatchet without handle and without
! being polished, and recognized in them the first
| implements OF very ancient people. At FIRST
| his coniectures were contested; the strata was
| declared to be of more recent date, and the
| hatchets we're considered as mere fantastic
| productions OF nature; but the supposit1ons Of
| M. Boucher have been generally accepted. These
stene hatchcts were found, together with bones
! of elephants, 16 to IL feet deep in gravel and
| SAND upon strata OF chalk OF the latest date OF
! the tertiary formation. There were also found
! in ST. Archeul, in France, and in q cavern in
| England remains OF human bones, together
! with similar flint hatchets. These discoveries
| point TO period far prior to the dilIvium, but
| the data are yet too scant to warrant any gene
! raj conclusion.
Concerning the patistr5al or lake constructions
| resting upon wooden piles, the first were dis
| covered in 1854, IN the Lake OF Zurich, in Swift
| zerland, others subsequently in different lakes,
as also in ireland, Denmark, and Mecklenburg
| in Germany. Those of Switzerland are OF an
| older DATE tlan any OF the others, ana may De
carried back as far as 500 years before Christ, OF
| which time Herodotus relates the successful de-
fense of such fortified lake construction by
Thracians against the army OF the Persian Gene
| raj MegabaZus Some of those constructions
which were bull. deeper into the lakes, are,
according to very careful researches OF far older
date, and reach back probably upwards OF 1000
years. The strata which were found round them
contain besides, implements made of bones,
claws horns wood, and clay; other implements
and weapons formed OF stone, brass, and even
| of iron. The animal remains of bones belong to
species still existing, while the human crania
are not different from those OF the brass and
iron periods, and not even from those of the
actual Swiss.
The remains known by the name of kitchen
otfals Gn Danish h5okte1nl oddlngelO do not
belong to so early period. On the eastern
shores of the Danish islands have been found
large banks OF oysters (some OF them opened),
and other mUsce!shes, together with remains
Of bones, and implements OF stone, wood, horn,
and earthenware. The animal remains belong
to all kind OF species which inhabited Europe
during the historical times. But as there were
also found portions of pine trees-a tree which
has disappeared from Scandinavian was sup
posed that the human remains belonged TO
population which, ten thousand years ago, lived
on these shores Hnder mighty pine woods. This
calculation was based upon the supposition Of a
Quadruple change of vegetation, each of which
required several thousand years, as this success
sion of vegetation is still visible in the turmoor
of Denmark. The basis for this supposition il
taken from the present period of the develop
ment of vegetation. But ii in the diluvial perioj
Scandinavia was covered with glaciers and ice
and the transition to the present period tool
place very suddenly, it is to be supposed that
with the progressive higher temperature, th
vegetation of trees must also nave been consider
ably quicker than is the case at the presen
moment.
We conclude these observations concernin,
the fossil human bones by referring to th
opinion Of the late Rudolph Wagner, of Coffin
gen, the greatest authority IN comparative
! osteology, who considers more of the remains
> of fossil human bones found among the re
, mains of animals which belong to the tertiary
: period, sufficient evidence to prove the grea
J antiquity of the human race; and proposes ~
4 archaeological classification of crania, an,
! genealogical maps, ia order to arrive at a NOR
! reliable basis concerning the problem of the agt
! | of the human race.
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