Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-11-02
EARLY HUMAN REMAINS,

Inc determination of the age of the
earliest human remains found on the
American continent is of great inter
est. Until few years ago North
America was supposed to offer the
| most valuable evidence in this regard,
though the bureau of American eth
nology declared in 1907 that mo spec
linen had come to light in the northern
continent which from the standpoint
of physical anthropology represented
other than relatively modern man.
At that time some apparently epoch
| making discoveries" were reported
from the Lagoa Santa Caves OF Brazil,
together with numerous finds of bones
and cultured objects in Argentina. AS
a result the attention OF the world was
attracted to these places and there
vas a renewal of the story of Allan tbs,
the origin and decent of the human
race being traced from very primitive
anthropoid forms of South America
More recently interest has reverted 10
North America from the discovery OF
human remains in an asphalt deposit
at Rancho La Brea in Southern Cali
was read before the Museum of His
tory, Science and Art OF Los Angeles,
June IL, 1914, by John c. Merriam.
The bureau of American ethnology
was so much interested in the South
American finds that two experts were
sent to conduct an impartial investi-
cation. The conclusion was that the
human remains from the Lagca Santa
Caves cannot be accepted without fur
ther and more conclusive proofs as
belonging to a race which lived con-
temporane ously with the extinct spe-
cies of animals found in the same
caves. A similar unfavorable conclu-
sion was reached regarding the anti
guilty of the skull taken from the har-
Dor of Buenos Ayres. The specimen
was taken from the oozy bed of the
river when the workmen were excavat-
ing for the dry dock at Buenos Ayres.
In geologic age, according to Pro-
lessor Ameghino who wrote about it,
it was a remnant from the Lower PHI
ocene and was older than the famous
Neanderthal skull Careful examina-
tiCn, however, failed to reveal any evil |
dence which would justify its classifi- |
cation as a representative OF species
of ancient primates, premediate fore
runners of the human being. Every |
feature shows il to be a portion of the |
skull O. man himself; 1t bears no evil
dence even of having belonged to an
early or physically primitive man, but
to a well-developed and physically
individual.
The conclusion of the report is that,
while it is not possible to give a def
nit estimate of the age of the skele-
ton found, 1t belongs to a distinctly
modern period. II does not neces-
sarily belong to the present historical
period, but cannot be considered as
having antedated it by many thou
sands of years. Merriam considers
il well worth exhaustive scientific in
and the last word on the
subject cannot be written until a great
deal more study has been given the
objects found. The associations are
with specim ons distinctly later in age
than the typical Rancho La Brea
fauna. which come from a very old
geologic period. According TO DIR. A.
L. Kroeger, the racial characteristics
do not differ decidedly from those of
persons WnOSe ItIudlilS nave occh GA |
ravated in mounds on Santa Rosa Is
and off the coast o. Southern Califor-
MIA. While the question of antiquity
is undecided, every evidence which
we have, says the Journal of the Amer
can Medical Association. would seem
TO point in North as well as South
America to the comparatively recent
origin or occurrence. geologically
speaking, of man on our continent