Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1925-02-01

Gus home Of ancient man lies a story
of Importance to society, with brief
glance back into the ruins of an
tiquity.
1t IS now known that France. rich
in the history OF civilizations record
ed battles down through the centu-
rles, is also rich in buried chapters of
that all too little known story OF
mans earlier fight for supremacy,
when his evolution was still In its
earlier stages; richer. perhaps, &C
cording to some scientists, than any
other country In Europe or any other
part of the world
In ancient terraces OF French rivers,
in caves and in rock shelters. within
and along which our primitive for
bears made their homes before the
dawn of the written word. remains
are being uncovered today and little
by little revealing the story of pre-
historic mans existence. Close be-
side his hlea Ched bones lie those Of
the animals upon which he lived, ami
mails that have become extinct. Some
of those animals have left not trace
behind them.
To afford American students some
sort of an opportunity to study these
chapters of primitive history. written
in natures own hand. the American
School for Prehistoric Studies in Eu-
rope was founded in 1921, at the sug-
gestion of DR.. Henri Martin, eminent
student of prehistoric man in France,
who at the same time offered the eX-
traordinary facilities of his famous
paleoiithic site at La Quina to the
American students. The initial steps
for the creation of this school were
Immediately taken by DR.. Charles
Peabody, formerly of the Peabody
Museum. at Cambridge Mass
The Importance of such an institu-
ton could not be overestimated. In
the first place, nothing has yet been
found on this continent, In the way
az human remains, that anywhere
near approaches in antiquity those
Of the cave men OF France. Evidence
Of civilizations has been uncovered
in the New Word, but does not yet
form any definite chapter In the his
tory of our own beginning. They
were civilizations of aborigines.
How ancient were the astonishing
abodes of the cliff jewellers has not
Yet been agreed upon. The ruins of
the Maya civil cations of Yucatan and
Central America are almost modern.
as compared to those of some of the
caves of France. and the MAYA civil
cation antedated the Christian era.
Thus the caverns and rock shelters in
France may take us back somewhere
nearer the beginning at least many.
many ages further back than any
similar objects in North America.
x x
p EALIZING at once the Importance
of such an offer. American scien-
fists lost no time accepting 1t, and
Dr. George Grant MacCurdy, research
associate in prehistoric 8nthropology
at Yale University, was selected as
the first director of the American
School for Prehistoric Studies in Eu-
rope. The activities OF the school
were to be limited 10 France, with
an opportunity for students from this
country to dig Al the Mousterian rock
shelter of La Quina.
Before the first year had closed,
in 1921, DIR. MacCurdy became con-
WINGED that the scope of the school
should be considerably broadened so
as to include the whole of prehistoric
research from the Eolithic period,
which was the very beginning of the
Stone Age, to the Iron Age, and ex-
tend the researches to other coun-
tries as we'll as France.
In 1922 DR.. Peabody was made d.
rector of the school, and following
him, in 1928. came Dr. Ales Hrdlicka
of the United States Nationaf Mu-
scum.
1t was not until the present year
that the reorganization suggested by
he was again made director of the
school. On this subject, in an ar
tiCle which will appear in Art and
Arch eology in March. Dr. MacCuruy
wrote only several weeks ago:
The new director referring to
HIMSELF was given carte blanche to
develop and carry out a program; he
was also left single handed to pro-
vide funds for the years work A
prospectus was followed by cam
paign for funds A dozen students
were enrolled, some on full time and
others on part time, and the work of
the Summer term began auspiciously
in London on July l, last.
Between that date and the close
or the summer term, toward the end
of September, the students followed a
we'll balanced and carefully prepared
program. They studied in % mu-
seums; visited and inspected So pre-
historic sites, from the Pliocene relic
bearing beds of East Anglia to Swiss
Tumuli of the Iron Age; attended 81
lectures by the director and % by IA
specialists of commanding ability
and excavated for % days at two i'm
portant stations.
The first four weeks were devoted
TO southern England, the megalithic
monuments of Brittany, the relic
bearing terraces of the Somme VAL
ley and the Paris museums.
From Paris the school went direct
TO the Dordogne, where, thanks to the
cooperation of DIR. John C. Merriam
president of the Carnegie Institution
OF Washington, and to the generosity
of Col. William Eric Fowler. the
Archaeological Society of Washington
now has a paid-up lease, good for 10
more years, on a productive rock
shelter and cave. The Archaeological
Society of Washington has granted
the school the sole privilege of ex
Cavating this site.
During the past Summer enough
relic-bearing horizons, all of Paleo-
lithlc age; two representing the
Mousterian culture left by the Mean
.derthal race and one by the Aurigna-
elan culture left by an early Gro
Magnon race. Flint implements of
various types were found by the hun
dred; but the rarest specimen was a
perfect Mousterian scraper of mag
nif1Cent pale yellow rock crystal.
THE station which has been chris
tened Castel- Merle. is beautifully sit
uated overlooking the Vezere River,
secluded and at the same time easily
accessible"
IT is at Castel- Merle that the
Archaeological Society of Wash
ington is thus giving American sci
entists and students an opportunity
TO study ancient man in his native
habitat without burdening European
expeditions with their presence. The
search for site that the American
school might lease was begun dur
ing the dictatorship of DR.. Hrdlicka,
who also realized the necessity for
enlargine the scope of the work IL it