Evening star., 1932-04-10
Civilizations 100000 Years

1anganylka he has explored q series
OF geological strata-fiive In number
Wnlch record the history of East Africa
LOT the whole Of the Pleistocene period.
All hve beds-the' Oldest Of which was
iald Gown million years ago, on the
long estlmate-oontain not only the
DoneS CT extinct animals (the three
toeo morse, Tor example), but also shaped
stone implements. crude ATTEMPTS in
the oldest beds, but becoming more re-
fined in the later beds.
In the oldest bed but one the skeleton
OF man was unearthed-the Oldoway
man. But. whereas the oldest fossil
man found In other parts Of the world
Is quite unlike any race now living the
Oldoway man is of the modern type. I
md 1t so hard to believe that modern
man had come into existence so long
ago that await further evidence before
coming to a oecision
snail not weary my readers with
accounts OF other equally surprising
discoveries which are being made in ali
psrts OF the world-diScoveries which
throw light on how mankind Jared as
millennium succeeded millennium dur
ing the Pleistocene period. This ancient
Worlo was very different from the one
we know. There are mere people in
London today than there were in the
whole world then. There was this other
dlderence: modern races, although they
olner In external appearance, are won
oerfully alike in internal structure. It
vas otherwise in the ancient world
the men Of one country differed great
~ In structure as well as In appearance
from those Of other lands. Yet the
civilization Of the ancient world was
nearly uniform And one has but to
get glimpse OF this world to be recon-
cleo to the worst the present one has
to offer.
Other Civilizations Barred.
Having touched upon the discoveries
which throw light upon mans very
early history, let us now return to the
advances being made by those who are
searching for the beginnings of civiliza-
ton. The most wonderful discovery of
recent years Is that made by the
archaeological survey of India, working
under Sir John Marshall Sir Johns
omclal report was recently published.
In 1t he gives an account of a great
city civilization which had been estab-
hshed along the valley of the Indus
more than 5000 years ago-before the
great pyramids Of Egypt had been built.
In the fourth millennium there were
Slties on the Indus containing $4,000
Va ACy 4ldQ WIl6eleQ
trafhc, grew cotton and spun 1t, and had
merchant palaces.
D., Only 13 years ago We thought that
the lamp of civilization had been lit in
only one small part Of the world so
early as the fourth millennium. we
thought its light was then confined to
Egypt. Then discoveries were made
proving that we had altogether under
estimated the extent of the early civil
lzed world. In the fourth millennium
BIC. the area Of civilization included
not only Egypt, but Mesopotamia. Asia
Minor, Persia, Baluchistan, Afghanistan
and-as we now know-India, at least
It's northwestern part. OF all the homes
OF this early civilization only one now
remains tntact-Egypt. In other lands
the surviving descendants Of the pio-
neers OF civilization have relapsed to
semi-tribal mode of life.
When we consider how large an area
OF the East participated in the advan-
tages Of civilization between 5000 and
5000 years ago we marvel that this new
mode OF life took about 1000 years to
spread to western Europe. The manner
Of its spread was remarkable. In Me-
sopotahia and neighboring lands em-
pire succeeded empire until some 5000
years ago the imperial way Of extending
civilization spread into Europe-to
Greece and then to Rome. Then came
the collapse of Rome. leaving each of
the nations of the West to rebuild civil
lzation in its own way. And after Is
centuries we find ourselves where we
now are. Are Europeans on the crest
OF their wave or still on the ascent?
And what Of the great white civiliza-
tions of America, Australia. New zea.
land? Because they are younger, win
they therefore live longer? We can
but ask these questions; we cannot an.
swer them