PREHISTORIC BURIAL PLACE DISCOVERED IN ANCIENT SICILY

Manawatu Times, Volume LIV, Issue 6802, 4 January 1929, Page 3

PREHISTORIC BURIAL PLACE DISCOVERED IN ANCIENT SICILY

FOSSIL REMAINS OF MANY DESCRIPTIONS Excavations at Boccadifalco, near Palermo, Sicily, liave brought to light a prehistoric burial place lying under a burial quarry. Interesting remains of the Paleontologist Period have been found,' states the San Francisco Chronicle. There is intact an entire skeleton of the Neolithic era, and also a baby elephant’s tooth, as well as fossil remains of hyenas, lions, cave bears, gazelles, deer and pigs, the testuaggine and fauna which experts say roamed in what used to-be a jungle m the vicinity. The discovery is one of the most important ever made in Italy. Half a dozen of Italy’s experts including Professor Fabian, of the University of Palermo —considered one of the leading paleontologists of Italy—have been excavating at Boeadifalco, and they believe that some of the most important remains still lie covered. The first discovery of prehistoric remains dates back to 1920, when Dr. Alfred Salerno, who first excavated a neolitliic mule skeleton, at 33occacliialco # carried on the work independently. Later tho Government sent Professor Gabriel, of the Palermo Museum, to continue tho work. They discovered the remains of a human species called Notautropus Eurafricanus, who lived along the Mediterranean in the Stone A"c. They also found remains of baby elephants, which from measurc.ments made on tho skeleton, must not have been higher than three feet. liofessor Valrey, a well-known French paleontologist of the Paris Institute, assisted at tho excavations and found many interesting things. The present excavations aro a continuation of those undertaken in tho same grotto six years ago. What is of great interest is the molar tooth of an elephant that measured only threo centimetres in length. When one remembers that present-day elephant teeth are ten times that length, the conclusion is reached that thousands of years ago there lived in Sicily a race of dwarf elephants that were not longer than a quarter of a metre, about tho size of a pet dog a sort of pachyderm dog. A paw has been found than was not more than four inches long. The human skeleton was found intact, lying on its side, with the knees bent and the hands folded as if in prayer. It was in this same position that the prehistoric skeleton was discovered some years ago in grotto in Mentone, on the Riviera. Near the end of the base of the spine were found vases of ceramics decorated with designs made of lines and holes. One point that will cause much discussion is that tho bones in some ulaces aro coloured red. According to some experts it was tho custom in prehistoric days —as it is among. the Mattarcsso ludian tribes ia Brazil today—to remove the ilesh from bones and colour them with wax. The excavations arc being intensified.