OUR ANCESTORS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 633, 9 October 1909, Page 5

OUR ANCESTORS.

.'/A PEE-HISTOIJIC SKELETON. (By -Je|egraph-Preis. • Association-Copyright.) '.•'.i. Parlt,; October 7. ;A pre-histonc skeleton has. been found in focks of tho Post-Tertiary period, in the department . of" Dordogne, South-Western Franco, dating twenty thousand year 6 back... ■'.

. ."THE OLD MAN, OF CTOMAGNON." Discoveries made from time to time in the South ot Frauco hava revealed many important faits- concerning _.the. : early . - inhabitants of Europe and, th« History 'of pro-historic man. .rhe .geplogical periods are divided into ! the Primary, Secoudaty, find Tertiary; and the Post-tertiary (mentioned in the cablegram) is the ;most recent division of,the 6eries, including: all that is later than that which can properly be denominated Tertiary. One recent' writer (Mr.; G; F. Scott-Elliot) reconstructs,- the ; history of ; .these '. ancient people :.who -lived \somc 70,000 ./years ago "in the Porigord. of 1 franco, " tho v rivers Dordogne and Bezero;-traverse a rude and broken couhtry of limestone hillocks and interrupted plateaux; iri.order to reach at length thei.noble, estuarys.of the (Jironde." Thor representative cavc-nlan. : of Southern France has been styled "the Old Man of. Cromagnon," and he has been graphically described in' the following words:— . .■ : '■■He 1 was; ; tall" (about" five -feet' ten; inches in height), sinewy, and muscular (o. an extraordinary, degree,, with mighty thighs'and powerfill .arms. - .His forehead was broad-and capacious, lii.i brain occupied over-97 cubit inches. He fi&d strong ridges over .the .'eyes; .heotling' eyebrows, and a prominent aquiline nose- Tho sgiiare-set 'projecting'. .jaw, with its r strong muscular- attachments, was covered by a vigorous' beArd.;..His .hair.will be'-,ofthat colour which it 6hall please. {utnrc?. ,anthiopo-. logists. to. decide upgn. As to,,lmpress it was of the / simplest possible character. ' Ho \Vore' nothing/ whatever Except,"'awiiectlaco of ca\;flions' .and cave-bears', teeth. . "Sethis body was'covered all : ovcr ! . with; iron. ore.or ochre of . exactly the : .ptevaiHhg tint of-, the .landscape,: so that;,when ho remained'motionless' it was at a,short distance off qUito impossible to :disstfiigii|6h '-i ; • That the Old Man of, Cromaghtm' has left descendants 'is admitted by- ! everybody. >In ancient ■ Gaul,. and even, in Paris ,of to-day, his . type-has been noticcd.' ■ Not only so, but descendants of • his still more savage-predeces-sor, th? Cannstadt or Neanderthal mail,, still exist amongst us.