Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1910-01-27
The Most Ancient Human skeleton.

|
In February, 1909, the skull Of one of Our
most ancient known ancestors was found
at Chapelle aux Saints, in the French de-
partment of Correze. In September a
nearly complete skeleton of approximate
antiquity was exhumed at FenaSSie, in
the department of Dordogne, by DR.. Cap
itan and M. Perony. The strata which
covered the skeleton were absolutely in
tact and the exhumation was performed
so carefully that the bones were revealed
in the precise position in which they had
been laid to rest at least 10000 years ago.
This is the first instance in which so an
cient skeleton, found in such we'll
marked and indisputable geological sur
roundings, has been photographed at the
moment of exhumation and before it had
been disturbed.
The region surrounding Ferrassie is
peculiarly rich in prehistoric human re-
mains and documents. Ten miles east
ward are the famous caves of Eyzies,
where the oldest known drawings on
bone, ivory and horn, were discovered
nearly fifty years ago. In the neighbor-
boring cave of Gro Magnon, Lartet and
Christy, in 1858, discovered portions of
five skeletons and two skulls which have
recently been determined to belong to
the Aurignacian race, a less ancient race
than the Neanderthal, TO which the Cor
reze skull and the FerraSsie skeleton ap-
pear to belong. The same region in
cludes the terraces of Monster where
Clipped flint tools of peculiar character
were found in 1868. The name mon
sterian has been given to the period of
these tools, which succeeded the achueian
and its predecessor, the chellean, the
most ancient division OF the quaternary.
Relics of the cave dwellers have been
found at various other points in the vi
cinity.
This region has yielded, and will con-
tinue to yield, more human documents
than any other part of France, for the
following reasons: During the monSte-
rian period of the stone age the region
was covered with prairies and forests and
abounded in horses, cattle and deer,
which, with the fish of the Venzere River
and its tributaries, furnished plentiful
supply OF food. Probably reindeer could
also be found on the hills. Furthermore,
the river valleys are bordered by chalk
cliffs and terraces, often overhanging, and
honeycombed with caves, hollows and
fissures, which formed excellent shelters.
The deeper caves seem to have been re-
served for funeral and religious uses,
while savages dwelt in the shalloWer
caves and, especially, beneath overhang-
ing cliffs in front OF which screens OF
boughs were constructed. A region
which offered such advantages in regard
to food and shelter must have been very
popular in primitive age.
On the other hand, it is certain that the
region has undergone little change since
the monsterian period. No geological
convulsion has occurred. The principal
change is deepening of the valley by
about 30 feet, and this has further isolated
the land at the base of the cliff, which
was already well protected from inunda-
ton. Men doubtless dwelt on the plains
also, in those remote times, but all YES
tigeS OF them and their works have been
destroyed or washed away by floods.
Finally, all bodies buried in places dis
tant from human habitations were quick
ly devoured by the hyenas which then
abounded in France, and during the CEN
J turies that followed, the pick and the
plowshare completed the destruction of
the few bones that remained. This is
the explanation Of the exceedingly rare
occurrences of very ancient human bones
in most regions and their comparative
abundance in Dordogne.
The Ferrassie skeleton was discovered
in the course of exploring mass of de-
bris about 100 feet long, sloping upward
from the road TO low chalk cliff rising
a few yards above it. The width OF the
mass varied from go to 30 feet and its
height, at the cliff, from Is to 80 feet.
The appearance of the superficial layer
and the assures of the cliff indicated the
tall of an overhanging cliff, which should
have formed an extensive shelter at a
much earlier epoch. AS this view was
confirmed by the discovery of Clipped
flints where the edge of the mass was
cut by the road, explorations were under
taken several years ago, but nothing OF
especial importance was unearthed until
recently. The excavation was begun by
digging broad trench from the road to
| the cliff in order to allow the mass to be
removed in successive horizontal layers.
Last September two bones were seen
slightly projecting from the wall OF the
trench, near the bottom. On removing
little earth the bones were recognized as
a human tibula and femur. The earth
over the bones was then removed, by
horizontal layers, with extreme caution.
When the greater part OF the monsterlan
stratum had been removed, three flat
stones, about eight inches square, cover
ing the skull and parts of the arms, were
discovered. The reddish brown sand
which surrounded the skeleton contained
| many large splinters of animals which
showed marks of hammering. Very
| slowly and with infinite precaution the
skeleton was laid bare without displacing
a single bone. II lay on the back, with
the trunk turned slightly to the left, and
the legs sharply bent back under the