The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-01-06

WRITE Of the progress Of arcl-

scarcely possible, as The idea ot
the subject was unknown hun
dred years ago; it Is therefore the whole
history of It's opening and development
that we have to deal with. The concep-
ton Of the history Of nan being preserved
to US in material facts. and no. only in
written words. was quite disrcgarded un,ii
the growth OF geology had taught mon to
read nature for themselves, instead of
trusting to the interpretations formed by
their ancestors. Even down 10 the present
the academic view is that classical ar.h-
aeolcgy is more important than other
branches because II serves to illustrate
classical literature. Looked at as archaic
ology, it IS, on the contrary, the least
important branch, because We already
know so much more CT the classical ages
than we do of others.
Ii is only within the present generation
that it has been realized that wherever
man has lived he has left the traces Of his
action, and that a systematic and OBJ
servant study of these remains will inter
pref TO us what his life was, what his
abilities and tastes were, and the extent
and nature OF his mind. Literature is but
one branch of the archaeology of the
higher races; autobiography important
for the understanding Of mans art;
these two give the highest and most com
pick and characteristic view of the nature
Of race At the opposite end of the
scale are the rudest stone weapons which
remain as the sole traces Of the savases
who used them. These highest and low
est evidences of mind, and all that lies
between them, are the domain OF archae-
ology.
We now propose to review the growth Il
archaeology in contact with geology,
where it concerns man as the last CT the
links of life On the globe; and then to no.
tice the archaeology of each country in
turn, as it leads on to the times of his
torical record, and so passes down TO
modern times.
A century ago the world of thought was
divided between the old and new ideas
very differently from what is now the
case. Then there stood on one side the
idea of a special creation Of an individual
man, at 4004 B. c.; the compression of all
human history into a prehistoric age Of
about 1900 years. and fairly logical So
luton Of most of the difficulties of under
standing in a comfortable theology. On
the other hand stood many who felt the
inherent improbability of such solutions
of the problem of life, and who were feel
ing their way to some more workable
theory on the basis Of Laplaoe, Lamarck,
Erasmus Darwin, and others; vaguely
~
geology, archaeology, anthropology, and
theology. each of which we now sec must
be treated on its own basis. and be de-
cided on internal evidence before we can
venture to let it affect our judgment on
other points
The great new force which thrust itself
n to divide and decide on these questions
is the scientific study of man and his
works. Strangely shaped hints had been
noticed, but no one had any knowledge
of their age. One such when found with
The bones OF a mammoth was attributed
to the Roman age, because no person
could have brought elephants into Britain
except some Roman general. The argu-
nent was excellent and irrefutable until
geology found plenty mere remains Of the
mammoth and showed that IL was here
long Dt-gEe the ItDLlaUS- II Vas less IMAM
half a century ago that our eyes began
to open TO the abundant remains Of flint
using man Then q single rude stone
weapon was an unexplained curiosity;
now an active collector viii put together
his tens OF thousands Of specimens. will
know exactly where they were found,
their relation CT age and Of purpose, and
their bearing on the history OF man.
Not only have worked-hlnt implements
been found in the river gravels Of France
and England. where they were first noticed
in the middle Of this century, but also in
most parts Of Europe. in Egypt on the
high desert. in SoEaliland at the Cape Of
Good Hope, in India. America and other
countries; and the most striking feature
is the exact similarity in form wherever
they have been found SO precisely do the
same types recur. so impossible would !,
be to say from its form whether a flint
had been found in Europe, Asia, or Africa,
that It apDe. - as IL the art OF working
had spread LON some single centre over
the rest OF the world. This is specially
the case with the river gravel hints-
the earlier class-usually called Paleo-
lithic Soon after tho general division
had b. en- made between polished stone work
OF u. later or Neolithic times. found on
the surface. and the rough Clipped work
Of the earlier or Paleolithic times. found
In geological deposits. 2 further subdiyi-
sion WIS made By separating the Palco-
lithic age into that OF the river grav2ls nd
that Of the cave Gwellcrs The latter las
again been divided into three classes by
French writer's named from their locali-
ties. Mousterien Sn,utri5n, Masiaicaien;
and though these classes may be much in
fusuced by locality tley probably have
some difference Of age between thca.
Art now within the last few years a
still earlier kind Of workmanship has been
recognized in firts found in England on
the high hills IN Kent. Though at first
much disputed. the human origin az tho
forms Is now generally Acknowledged and
they show a far ruder ability than even
the most massive Of the Pale0lithir forms.
The position also CT these fiilis. IN river
deposits lying on the highest hills some
six hundred feet above the present rivers.
shows that the whole Of the valleys has
been oxcaTated since they we're deposited
and implies a far greater age than any Of
the gravel beds OF the paIeOlithic ages.
We therefore, have passed now at the
end OF this century TO a far wider view
OF mans history. and classify his .arlIer
ages IN Europe thus:
First-Eolithlc: Radest massive fints from de-
posits coo feet up.
Second Paleo,itbic: Massive hints from grayels
200 feet up and less (Achuleen).
Third alcoiitlic-Cave dweers: Flints Ike
the preceding and fakes (iousterien).
Fourth Paleo,ithie-Cave dVc.lers: Flints we'll
worked and finely shaped (s9lutrien).
Fiflh-Paleoithic-Cay dWCllers: Abundant
bone working and drawing (Ilagda!enien).
Sixth-.sc~iiilic: Polished flint working pas
toral and agricultural man.
What time these periods cover nothing
yet proves. The date OF 1900 B. c. for
mans appearance, with which belief our
ct, f,I hoe -, 4 -,