Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-08-24
The Evidence of Human Existence
Thousands Of Years Ago.
VALUABLE COLLECTION OF RELICS
Seton-kar Contribution of ImpIe-
ments at Smithsonian Institution.
AN TERESTING STUDY


concerning 1t are known by the casual
visitor to the place. will be of undoub,ed
interest. In IL are weapons and implements
USED by prehistoric, primeval man. hun
dreds OF thousands OF years ago. Ii NAV
have been that with such a weapon as is
comprised in the collection Cain Killed
Abel. and the residents of the stone eye
hunted the huge monstrosities in the wilds
Of Africa, the plains of India and on and
about the chalk cliffs of England
The collection is known as the Seton-Karr
contribution having been discovered BY this
prominent English expert In archaeological
matters in Somaliland, on the eastern
coast of Africa, some months ago The inn
PIGMENTS were purchased from the dis
corerer by the Smithsonian Institution and
placed in the division of prehistoric an
thropology.
There are about fifty pieces I'm the collec-
ton, made of flint, or quartide. and rang
ing in size from an inch so in length to
nall foot, some weighing several pounds
The objects are supposed to be spear heads.
battle axes and wedges. truncheons
biudgeons, or whatever they may be
termed.
Indicative Of Muscle.
Gazing at them one can gain an idea OF
what the ancestors of the human race look
ed like, muscular and hairy. coarse of form
and feature, with huge bodies and massive
MINUS foutu implements SoulQ nave Dttn
welded by none except a race of giants.
Archaeologists say that the objects be-
long to the palaeolithic age. which Is. they
also assert, the first stone age. palaeolithic
meaning ancient stone. They also belong to
the Clipped stone age. practically the same,
the ground stone having come later. To
be definite, the collection, according to the
archaeologists. comprises objects made and
used by the first people who inhabited the
earth
The great point of interest from an archa-
Biological standpoint to be secured from the
objects is that they resemble implements
found in England and France.
Sir John Evans of England, the greatest
living authority on such matters, said ie-
Gently that the implements in the collec-
ton were manufactured by a people who
lived probably 3o0oo years ago The diff
ference between them and other palace
lithic implements is, except for an extra
ordinarily weather-beaten appearance they
are as perfect in appearance the Gay
on which they were made. The find bridges
over the interval between palaeolithic man
in Britain and India, and tends to prove
the unity of race between inha 5i,an;s of
times. anu '''pe III pA''eo'''i''
Found While Lion Hunting.
H. w. Seton-Karr discovered the objects
forming the Smithsonian Institution col
lection in Somaliland while tracking a
lion on bare hillside. 1t was while at
this occupation he came upon the head
quarters of primeval man and his former
stronghold. This was shown by the num-
bers of stone implements. once buried deep
for concealment, but when found raised
on pyramids of solidIfied gravel like boul-
ders on a glacier.
Seton-karr hunts lions when he feels
particularly satisfied with his surround
| ings, and chases the hippopotamus to its
lair when there is nothing else of special
interest to attract his attention Incl
dentally, being a disciple of Nimrod. he
takes great interest in the hunting inIpie-
ments. Jude, uncouth and unpoished as
| their owners. of man at the beginning. He
was one of the first explorers OF nj st.
Elias. Alaska, in 1885, and is one of the
best-known big game hunters in the world.
Mr.. Seton-Karr had discovered lost flint
| mines last November in Egypt. He had
previously found stray fiints in Thebes, but
was anxious to prove that there was no
connection between the comparatively mod
ern temples and pyramids of Egypt and the
more ancient palaeoithic remains through
out the whole Nile valley.
The Desert Mines.
Rumors had come from the Arabs of
large flint mines in the eastern desert.
Somaliland is on he eastern coast OF
Africa, south of the Red sea, and the Gulf
of Aidev. While proceeding on his travels
one day, with his caravan of Bedouns and
camels, on the hidden cliff plateaus of the
Wady Sheik, he came across what APP
peared to be ruined cities of vast extent.
barren, treeless and waterless On exami-
nation. the mines we're discovered.
Each of the mines was characterized by
its own special types of implements. Pro-
fessor Petrie, the well-known Psychologist,
declared them to be of the greatest posi-
BILE interest Truncheons, spear heads,
axes, arrow heads, wedges-many of these
lay as the workmen last left them when
they went home from work one day. per-
haps thousands of years before Thebes or
Memphis were dreamed of.
l.sl..
identical in form with those from France
and England, showing the unity of race
throughout the world during the palace
lithic age.
The discoverer had this to say on the SUBJ
ject of his find and the locality where the
objects were unearthed:
Biblical Land Marks.
Certain landmarks to the four rivers
mentioned in Genesis led me to think that
the Garden of Eden. IL IT ever existed, may
have been here, and that these very tools
had been made and used by Adam and his
numerous descendants. At any rate my
discoveries in Egypt and I'm Somaliland lead
me to the idea that mans original home
OR the place where he was gradually eyolv-
ed, must have been in Africa, or. at least
in a tropical land. where clothes were un-
necessary and food plentiful to hand"
The archaeologist accounted for the uni
versal similarity of form in the oldest i'm
plements of all in very simple manner.
mite intercourse and communication then,
as now, between Europe, Asia and Africa
and this was for the purpose of trading in
flint spear and arrow heads with those
countries where no flint existed. Parts of
the North sea and the Mediterranean in
these times were dry land so travel was
comparatively easy"
III any one is interested, and doubtless
there are many, in knowing what manner
of man the resident of the world was be-
fore the flood, and even before Adam ex-
listed, the psychologists say, the desire
can be gratified by examining the Seton
Karr collection at the Smithsonian Insti-
tuition, for in all ages IT has been the case
that insight into the general appearance
habits. manners and customs of any race
can be CLEANED from an inspection of the
products of their fandiwork The fough
clipped unwieldy objects, whitencd with
age and the bleaching influence of a fierce
sun for thousands of years. prove conclu-
sively that man Of the paiaeolithic age must
have been as much of the earth earthly as
the strange and powerful animals against
which he waged the war of determination,
and that he must have partaken to a great
extent Of their nature.