Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1913-06-20
THE OLDEST WOMAN
Skull Unearthed In Sussex, England,
May Date Back 100000 Years.


The grinning skull Of the Oldest wc-
man In the world is now beneath q
glass case in the large central hall OF
the British Natural History Museum
at South Kensington for all the world
to see
1t was the discovery Of the frag-
mentary remains of this skull that
sent such thrill excitement through
out the scientific world in the late au-
tumn of last year. Mr.. Charles Daw-
son, F. 8. A., unearthed 1t from a phi
at Pittdown Common, Sussex. In which
he had been engaged in geological ex-
cavation for several years, and @
great company Of distinguished pro-
fessors gathered at the meeting Of the
Geological society at which the dis
covery was first made public.
1t was not an object of beauty, even
as skulls may be regarded as varying
in gracefulness, but in her defence II
may be pleaded that the woman was
a semi -simian, combining in herself
the traits Of human being with the
characteristics of the ape. Scientists
regard her as the one specimen ex-
tant Of "the missing link"
Her age eludes one even now. She
may have lived $4,000 years ago, or
100000 or even 100000. for geologists
have agreed to differ upon so delicate
subject; but 1t is believed that she
belongs to the Pliocene period.
Her remains form one of the most
romantic discoveries that have ever
rewarded the researches of q geolo-
gist. and although pilgrimage of
scientists to England, to inspect them
is not predicted this year, no geologist
from Europe or America who finds
himself in London this summer will
miss his opportunity of leaving his
card upon her at South Kensington.
The actual remains are not exhibited
to the general public. They are being
treasured with all the care that should
be lavished upon rare possessions at a
time when her successors In England
are rather more mischievous than she,
poor simian, ever showed herself to be.
Savants end students may examine
them, however.
What the general public Is shown Is
a cleverly built-up model Of the skull.
The remains discovered comprised no
more than portion Of the left side of
the skull and a piece Of the lower jaw.
No modern human being possesses
teeth of the size and shape. Of those
seen In this reconstructed model, and
more than anything else the powerful
teeth and heavy under jaw serve to
emphasize the ape-like characteristics
of this primitive being.
A cast of the, brain has been taken
from the restored skull and Is also on
view in this case. While the brain
cavity Of a normal human being meas
ures over 90 cubic inches the PHO
Gene skull has capacity Of not more
than 64a cubic inches, showing that
the brain Development Of modern wo-
man is one-third greater than that Of
her semi -simian ancestor. From the
greater development of the brain at
the back Of the left lobe it is judged
that the individual was ht-handed-
another item in the chain of evidence
proving the skull to be of the human
species.
There can be little doubt that the
Pittdown woman's remains are the
earliest yet disentombed. They are
older than the fragments found at Me-
andertal, in Prussia, in 1855, or even
than the jaw found at Heidelberg, Ger
many, in 1907. Some scientists, Pro-
fessor Klaatsch among them, hold
that this primitive type was driven
back and extirpated by higher race
Of man which existed contemporane-
ously with 1t on the earth. There is,
however, no real evidence to support
this view-London Times.