The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-09-28
STONES TELL STORIES
GLIMPSES OF LIFE IN THE WORK
OF THE ARTISTS OF PRE-
HISTORIC TIMES

STRANGE PICTURES OF
THE.PALEoLlTHIc AGE
Sycamore Statuette of Sheikt Who
Worked on the Oldest Pyramids
Would Pass for the Head of an Arab
Tribe Today-EarIy Flint Instru
ments Highly Finished.
Special Cable to the Globe.
LONDON, Sept. 27.-Discoyeries
which are bringing us into closer and
closer touch with that mist hidden
past when embryonic man is supposed
to have fought for existence with the
beast are daily being made
The latest is the discovery of some
work of paleolithic artist in grotto at
eCombarelles, near Eyzies in Dordogne,
France. These rock drawings CORE
spond in period and style with others
On bone and horn of which casts are
already to be seen in the British mu-l
scum. The drawings represent ami
mails of the Paleolithic or Older stone
age, and are drawn in such a way as
to show that the artist must himself
have been contemporaneous with the
types which he drew upon the walls
of his rude cave. There is the same
striving for accuracy of detail which
is noticeable in the drawings upon the
bone and horn, and every evidence to
show that the types were drawn from
life. The characteristics of the types
also fix precisely the period to which
this prehistoric artist belonged. One
of the animals is a hairy mammoth
and the other reindeer. These ami
mails are well known to have frequent
ed the south of France only during
the age referred to.
The discoveries say that the pre-
cision with which the figures are drawn
enables them to recognize the species
of the animals so presented. The
horses are very different from the
equine types of today, having large
heads and short stiff names. 1t is evil
dent that some of them were domeSti-
Gated for one at least has on its back
what evidently is intended for a horse
cloth. There are also evidences of bits
and halters. Some of the bovine types
would be hardly distinguishable from
the oxen of today while others have
the characteristics of certain equatorial
antelope, the gnu, for instance. The
running reindeer compares exactly with
picture of one of these animals found
in the bone carvings. There are four
teen representations of the mammoth,
some of which are more hairy than the
others.
SembIance of Human Features.
With. these drawings found in the
stalagmite cavern were others bearing
the Semblance Of human features and
showing that man shared with the
mammoth the glacial epoch of Europe.
Almost equally interesting are the
recent discoveries of Prof. Petrie and
the other Egyptian explorers. The ex-
,ploration of the tombs of the King of
the First and Second Dynasties has
yielded very rich results and pushed
back the outposts of history still far
Their than before. Enough has been
discovered to establish the fact that
there were many kings before Menes,
hitherto considered the earliest ruler of
Egypt
On the site of this ancient Abydos
are strata of refuse, some eight feet
deep, which mark the various ages as
clearly as each bed in geological sue
cession is defined by its fossils.
"A peculiar point observed is that the
implements and work belonging to the
First Dynasty, or the age preceding
it, are superior to those of the Second
and Third Dynasties.
Some of the earlier flint instruments
are very highly finished, especially the
knives and hoes, which are made both
with and without handles.
Some Of the latter seem to have been
well worn, the blade of one on both
sides being highly polished from use.
There are also flakes and Scrapers and
an early attempt to copy crocodile.
There are also specimens of the sand
stone grinders used by the workmen of
that age to hollow out the beautifully
wrought vases, and bowls of orna-
mental stones. Green glazed pottery,
ivory beads and shells also figure in
the collection. In addition to these are
some lovely alabaster vases and vessels
of earthenWare.
A large granite head of king shows
the man of that early day to have diff
fered little in facial characteristics
from the present head of the animal
kingdom.
From Animal Mummies.
Among the odd things unearthed at
Faya, by Messrs Greenfell and Hunt is
a large collection of curious objects
from the animal mummies.
Specimens Of the sacred crocodile of
the Ptolemaic period are particularly
interesting. With these are reeds Civ
ing the measurements of the deceased
reptile as we'll as wooden models of
the creature, made with movable jaws.
All the mummieS, whether animal or
human, when found were wrapped in
papyrus, owing probably to the fact
that it was impervious to air or decay.
The recent discoveries of Baron OPP
penheim in MeSOpotamia form a fitting |
corollary to the aforementioned. They |
have resulted in the unearthing of
Hittite cities which existed centuries
before Nineveh was built. The Hittites
mentioned. so frequently in the Bible, |
n tho riddles Of history. |
Considerable difficulty seems to exist |
in placing the date Of many of the GU
nieform inscriptions, sculptures and /
drawings discovered by the baron.
One of the cities discovered is unique |
as far as explorations have so far |
gone, in the earth's history. 1t is To- |
Gated in the Tektek mountains and is |
built entirely by excavation into the
huge mountain of rock or above the eX-
cavation from the stone taken out.
1t was a place of about twenty thou
sand inhabitants. Beyond this sub
terrean- city, which contained no in
scriptions and of whose inhabitants
no possible conjecture can be formed /
for the present, many more interest |
ing ruins were found Some of these |
appeared to have been abandoned only
yesterday. Ruins of immense churches
and castles built by the Crusaders were /
found side by side with ancient Assy-
rian temples and palaces.
Palace of a King.
At the bottom of three deep shafts, /
after lengthy and extensive excava-
tons had been made, was found the /
palace of king of the Mitanni, one
of the Hittite peoples so often referred I
to in the scriptures, but concerning
whom no actual evidence had ever
been found.
The work of the early artists on the
inscriptions discovered in this palace