The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1934-04-26
Today's Science
BY DAVID DIETZ'

IUOW archaeological excavations in Russia, Chlna'
III Palestine and Java are bringing to hgn S
missing links which carry the history OF hdlAlllu
back for a million years. were DESCRIBED oy u
George Grant MacCudy famous archeologlst ana
curator of the AnthropolOgical collections OF Hale
university at a meeting in Philadelphia OF tile
American Philosophical Society, the nations oloesC
scientific organization ;,,
IN formulate a definite evolutionary sequence pc
tween the living primitive Australian trloes one ol
the most primitive types of existing men, ana the
Pithecanthropus Erectus the most ancient OF known
fossils of mankind. PithecanthropuS' sometimes
called the Java ape-man. is believed to have lived
about one million years ago.
Skeletal remains found in China and again IN
lava complete the sequence between Pithecanthro-
ms and the living Australian tribes, DR.. MacCurdy
said He credited Sir Arthur Keith, famous British
anthropologist with having first pointed out this
sequence.
called Peping man, known technically as slnan-
tbropus Pekinesis large number of skeletal re-
mains of this have been unearthed IN the
Caves of Choukoutien, some fifty miles southwest OF
Peiping.
ATExT in the sequence comes another skeleton
~ found in Java in 1881 less than ten miles from
the spot where Duois found the Java ape-man re-
mains in 1891. 1t has been named Homo Soloensis
because it found in rock layers on the bank of
the Solo river.
The evolutionary sequence. therefore DR.. Mac
Curdy said is follows:
First. Pithecanthropus or the Java ape-man;
second. Sinanthropus the Peping-man; third,
Homo SoloenSiS the new Java discovery, and fourth,
the living primitive Australians.
Dr. MacCurdy also described remarkable dis
coveres which are now being made in Russia and
NPaestine These do not go back far as the Peip-
Ezg the Java man. They probably go
back about 100O 900 years.
The Crmea and the CauScauS have proved to
be exceptionally rich fields especially as regards
caves and rock shelters, he said. During the past
ten years many important sites have been explored
in this region. which, through its geographic posi-
ton and climatic conditions. is more less closely
linked with Africa and southern Europe whole
DR.. MacCurdy also told of noteworthy discoveries
which have been made in Siberia These include a
number of art objects, some fifty miles west of
IrkutSk.
and weathered to a gray-brown color The OBJ
jects include figures in the round of the bird and Of
the human female, incised plaques, pendants and
beads"
CHINA. in recent years. has yielded important
~ finds in addition to the Peping man. DR.. Mac
Curdy said These include weapons and are OBJ
jects of the type found in connection with
the remains of Neanderthal man in Europe.
Skeletons of Neanderthal also are being
found in Palestine. he reported. Neanderthal man
was the last of the forerunners of modern man. He
was short in stature, had a low forehead. heavy
eyebrow ridges and weak chin. He disappeared
from Europe just as the first representatives of
Homo sapiens. modern man, made his appearance
some IS 900 years ago.
The Palestinian Neanderthal skeletons found
embedded in layers of thick rock. Mr.. MacCurdy
said that the rock layers being removed in blocks
and shipped to the Royal College of Surgeons in
London where the work of removing the ancient
bones from the rock will be done with pneumatic
chisels under the direction of Sir Arthur Keith.