The Valentine Democrat. [volume] (Valentine, Cherry Co., Neb.) 1896-1898, 1896-11-05
CARVINGS IN A CAVE
Prehistoric Relics Discovered in Gem
trail France.

In a letter addressed to the Secretary
of the French Academy Of Sciences,
the well-known anthropologist, NJ. e.
Riyiere, announces that, in the course
OF a mission confided to him by the
Ministry Of Public instruction, he has
discovered in the Department Of the
Dordogne a prehistoric cave, of which
lie has explored 127 meters. Its walls
are covered with drawings of animals
These drawings are cut deep in the
rock, some of them being buried under
stalagmites. This fact is, according TO
NJ. Riyiere, most important, as it con-
stitutes an undeniable proof of the
great antiquity Of the drawings in ques-
ton.
The caves of the Dordogne have for
some forty years been noted for their
relics of very early race Of men. They
were first explored by NJ. Lartet, Of
France, and our fellow countryman,
Mr.. Christy, whose fine collection is
now in the British Museum; but the
one recently examined by NJ. Riviere
appears to be Of exceptional size and
interest. The special interest-if, in
deed, it be not unique-of NJ. RiViere's
discovery is that he has found some
kind Of inciSed ornamentation upon the
actual walls of a cave. These carvings
are sometimes covered by a film Of
stalagmite, which shows them to be
very far from modern; the patterns,
however, of the engravings will be a
yet more satisfactory proof Of their
antiquity; for the style of ornamental
tion practiced by this folk is not SO ia
miliar to experts that they can recog-
nize it without difficulty. Both the OBJ
jects depicted and the material en-
ployed throw considerable light upon
the condition of Western Europe at this
early age. The antlers of reindeer are
commonly used for tools and orna-
ments, and the bones of this animal
abound in the debris on the floors. OBJ
viousIy, it must then have been as COM
mon in Perigord as it now is in the eX-
treme north of Asia or America.
This fact, taking into consideration
membering the habits Of the people, in
dicates that in those days Central
France cannot have had a climate more
genial than that Of Northern Norway
at the present era. In addition to these
animals, the red deer, the Irish elk, the
wild horse, the glutton, and, possibly,
the rhinoceros are depicted; but the
most interesting sketch Of all is fair
ly accurate and rather spirited outline
Of mammoth scratched on piece Of
tusk-these figures sometimes are ac-
tually sculptured as if to form the han
dies Of knives or of tools Of some kind,
but in other cases, as in the last named
they are inclOsed on the flat or curved
surface of bone or Of an antler. Re
mains Of the cave lion and cave bear
have been found, though not abundant
ly, together with those Of the hyena,
the ibeX, the chamoiS, and the saiga
antelope, which now inhabit the plains
of the Volga aud Southern Siberia.
These men of the Dordogne had prob
ably attained to a stage of civilization
comparable with that of the Esqui-
mauX before they were brought into
contact with Europeans, and there is
so strong family likeness in the handi-
work of the two that Prof. Boyd Daw-
kins, who has paid much attention to
the subject is Of opinion that the Es-
quimaux are the nearest approach to
descendants and representatives of this
long-lost race. AS comparatively few
bones of the Dordogne folk have been
identified with certainty up to the pres
lent time, we are hardly in a position to
say what anatomical evidence there is
for this view; but, so far as it goes, it is
favorable.-London Standard