WORKS OF ART BY PRIMEYAL MAN IN EUROPE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 780, 17 June 1864, Page 5

WORKS OF ART BY PRIMEVAL MAN IN EUROPE.

The following interesting letter on this subject -was published in the " Evening Mail:-'—

Sir.—Since the exploration of the Brixham Cave in 1858, an immense impulse has been given all over Europe to the search for and study of the material proofs of the antiquity of the human race- The public mind is now craving for. information on a subject which a few years back was condemned by $!ie general verdjct of men of sci-nce, and hardly mentioned except in a whisper. JVesh evidence is being brought t> lijjht, day after day, of the most interesting and important character, although not tending to carry man back, in every particular instance, to a period of very high geological antiquity. The south of Europe is the quarter whence the current is now flowing, and the ossiferous cave 3 the springs whence it issues. , Professor Busk, in a recent communication ('Reader," 30th January) has given a very clear and excellent account of discoveries made within the la3t year in a bone-cave in Gibraltar. The materials, not all yet arrived in England, are now under investigation, and give promise of results of "high import. But the most interesting additions have been yielded, very lately, by cavea in Central France, where what may be called works of art, of primitive execution, have turned up in considerable abundance, which prove that ravage man, of the unground and unpolWied stone period, was able, in advance of the use of metals, to sculpture on deer's horns, and to grave on stone, figures of quadrupeds his con1 emplanes that are now extinct in that, region. My friend, M. Lartet, on behalf of himself and Mr Henry Christy, his col!ah,orateur in the work, communicated to the Academy of Sciences on the 29th ultimo an account of these relics, which, when exhibited, produced an unusual sensation among the learned Academicians. I purpose now giving a brief sketch of this new and certainly very ancient walk of art, drawn mainly from M. Lartet's paper, which will speedily appear in the Comptes Rendus and from figures of the objects. The proofs of the remote antiquity of man are derived from two sources—-1, the ancient, or "quaternary," river gravt-1-deposits; 2, the' o^siferaus caves. The former, handled with the severe caution of Mr Prestwich, carries man furthest back in time, and with the greatest certainty; but it is of the most meagre and restricted character, consisting merely of flint weapons or implements, hardly ranging beyond a few patterns. Not a singe instance has yet occurred of a fragment even of an unquestionably authentic, human ' bone having turned iip in "these deposits. On ihe other hand, the evidence yielded by the caves, although less certain as an index of remote time, is infinitely mare, varied and instructive, It tells us, in certain cases, the division of the human race to which man, the early tenant of the caves, probably belonged ; what was hi;* stature and what his physical powers; what the animals which were his cotemporaries; what the molluscs, fish, flesh, and fowl upon which he fed; that he cooked his meat 6y fire; that he 'extracted Ihe marrow from the bones, and 'how he d^d it; how aud with, what weapon's he killed ln'a game; how he ffay.ed and ' dressed the hides ; that he scraped the meat off the bones; that he carefully cut the sinews of his slaughtered deer for harpoon lines, or for the fibre of sewing thread for his fme-pjinted pierced needles: where and in what direction he cut the sinews ; what the implements and weapons—in stone, bone, and deer's horn —which he used • what his ora^men^s,, and hoy? he disposed 'of hig dead.' It ig now beginning to. enlighten us on what he was capable of achieving in the way of art, and that in music, he ha.d gat the initial length of a hone whistle limited to a single note. The cave evidence has been disparaged by cursory observers and light reasoners, upon the grounds that the caves have been occupied at different times, and their contents often disturbed by the latest tenants, thus forming' what are Called remavde deposit's. But the shortcomings lay with the objectors themselves." When the profound pa'saontoTogical knowledge, rare sagacity, and 'philosophic caution of M. Ipartet are applied' to what w^re. sources''p,f doubt and embarrassment to them, the supposed difficulties are converted into aids in unravelling the tanzled clue, and into indices of ulterioi truths. In short, beside the bare &c(

that primeval man existed during the early " fluviatile;. drift period in Europe,"! all that we knp\y of him—.exclusive of the later " kitchen-middens ■•'■■■ arid " pilehabitations " —is derivedsolely/andehtirely from the ossiferpus caves. ..,,,.,,

The caverns which, on this occasion, were the objects' of exploration by M_; Lartet and Mr fHenry Christy, occur;in the department of the Dordogne (the. .ancient province of Perigord), and in the arrondissement of Sarlat, in the southwestern part of Central France. The most productive localities were the cave of " Les Eyzies," in the commune of Tayac, I the cave of *' Le Moustier," and the shelter-recesses under the projecting cliffs lof " Laugerie-Haute," " Laugerie-Basse," and " La Madeline," in the valley of the Vezere; the rock-formation consisting of indurated chalk. The floor of " Les Elyzies' cavern is overlaid by a. continuous sheet of breccia, composed of a base of cinders and ashes, mingled with charcoal; fragments of bones either in their natural state, or §plit, scorched, or burnt; outside pebbles ; flint cores with numerous fragments of flint flakes or knives, invariably

ments of fliat flakes or knives, invariably of wrought forn^s, $rid associated with other implements or weapons fabricated out of the reindeers' horns; the whole consolidated in a confused mass, Which had never been disturbed since the period of deposition. This was established by the state of the materials and by the fact that in several cases long bones were found ,with their heads in articular continuity; and vertebrae of reindeer in sequence. The principal objects of art were a 9 follows ;—ln " Les Eyzies" among numerous fragments of a hard slate, foreign to the district, tw;o pkte3 were found, each bearing an engraved representation of a quadruped. One of them, mutilated by an ancient fracture, presents the forequarter of a herbivorous (?) animal, the head of which was apparently ?nyasj;ed with horns, so fins as the fainf lings of the engraving'at tbjs part admit of. judging. The other bears the figure of a head, with the nostrils sharply defined, and the mouth half opened; but the profile, lines of the frontal region are interrupted in consequence of erasure by subsequent friction. On one side, and a little in front is engraved the figure of the galm of a largo' horn, inferled by E.M,. Lartet a»d Milne Edwards, with reserve, to be that of a Mose deer. These specimens are regarded by M. Lartefc as being the earliest known examples of engraving on gtp,ne, by primeval in^n, of the. yeindeer period in Europe. The most striking part of the collec-

ition, consisting of sculptured objects, was discovered in the shelter recesses,-under the cliffs of La Madeleine, LaugerieHaute, and Laugerie-Basse, amidst accu-

mulutions of bone-refuse and other rejectamenta, mingled with an immense quantity of flint flukes and the cores from which they were struck off. These spots were evidently the kitchen p.ncl manufactories of the spoieiit Ravages. The bones indicated the wimiils on which he fed : b,eing the -horse, ox, ihex. cha? mois, reindeer, birds, fish, &c. The common stag was rare as were also the boar and the 1a 0 S.mie detached molar teetli were discovered of the extinct Irish elk and also detached plates of the molar teeth of the mammoth. Laugerie-Haute would seem to have been especially the locality where flint implements were made, and Laugerie -Basse that where reindeer horns were converted into spear-liaads, harpqons, daggers, arrowheads, needles, and other implements. Here an enormous accumulation of reindeer horns was discovered, the whole of which nearly bore the marks of a stonesaw, by which pieces were detached suitable for conversion. Here a.!so were found the principal sculptured objects, some of which, considering the period and the nature of the tools, are marvels both of artistic design and of execution. The most remarkable is a long dagger or short thrmt-sword, formed out- of a single horn. The handle represents tfeebod'of a reindeer, tho parts in fair proportion, and treated with singular skill and art-feeling, in subservience to the use for which it was intended. The lore legs are folded c under the bally"; the hind legs drawn qutinsensibly into the blade; the salient horns and ea.rs are cleverly applied to the chest by giving an upward bend to tho head ; and a convenient hollow for the grip of the hand is produced by a continuous curve extending from the rump to the muzzle. Another specimen is described as a handle terminating at one end in a spear point, and bearing in partial relief the heads of a horse and of a deer, probably s, reindeer. O.hera are Grriqihen^ed with lonEtUudinai and parallel wavy lines, &c. A distinct cla'93 consists of palmated portion's of reindeer hor-q3, bearing representations of animal forms, —some executed in graved lines, others in bas relief or in high relief. One of these palmations exhibits a figure o£ a large herbivorous animal which has been conjecturedly ref rred to the Aurochs. Another is supposed to represent an ox, probably l&os primigenius (?). Th.s collection, judging by the diiawings which J. hare seen, is very rich in ' spe'a.r heads, barbed harpocmg, arrow heads, n£l fi^ety poised slender needles, drilled Ayith an eye-hole. The harpoons bear a close resemblance to the Esquimaux patterns. On one object the. figure of a scaly fish is distinc ly represented. The ornaments consist of canines of wolf, incisors of ox and other animals, with ear-bone 3of horse or ox, all drilled for suspension. One cmious object is the first digital |-h^knx; of a ruminant, drilled to a, certain depth by a smooth cylindrical bore, on its'lower surface ne<ir the expanded upper articulation. XI»S is supposed tQ'havG heen o, whistle or call, and a shrill sonivl 13 yielded on applying it to the lower lip and blowing into it. Three of these, whistle phalanges are of reindeer, one of chamois. One relic, of surpassing interest consists of the lum-; bar vertebra of a reindeer, pierced: through and through by a flint weapon,1 which still remains imbedded iv the V"Qne,' fixed by calcareous incrustation,. This is;| an object of great significance and extreme, | rarity. "Human bones,' although found,. ij were very scarce ; but M. Ljiyte-t ht\9 re-jj framed from a.Uuding to them, with ti\ reserve the reason of which is indicated j by M. Milne Edwards. In forming ahj estimate of the value of the relics ot art, j the reader will bear in mind that they are ■■ the productions of the unpolished and un- ■ ground (; Stone period," the tools employed j having hesn thin chips and delicate flakes \ of flint. Such; at least, is the' fair infer- ] ehce drawn with our present lights from the negative, evidence, not a trace_ of m^tal in any shape having been met \7lth in the Dor4?gne Cave,s.'' But if primeval man really ha!d made such progress in the conceptions of a.rt without"having yet attained {he knowledge of metals it will be as curious au anthropological phenomenon as are the art objects themselves, which express, that degree of luxury which ease, leisure, , and (jpmfpri beget, :]jieiadeer's horn i* no-

toriously the meat worthleßS and incompact," or cervine antlers; it is readily whittled by a knife, which is not the case with stag's horns. * . . The labors of M. Lartet and Mr Henry Christy on "the Dordogne Caves commenced in August, 2863. They have been continued: ever since, and are still in progress ; Valuable aiid instructive as is the Dordogne ••collection, fit is surpassed in certain respects by another, from the " Bruniquel Cave," in the south of France, more recently formed by other observers. The Bruniquel series, it would appear, does not embrace the game range of art, but it is richer in the department of weapons and implemeats, suoh as harpoons, spear-heads, &c, which are larger, more numerous, better finished, and in better preservation. These precious Materials were offered' in succession to the French Qovernment and to the British Museum. " Perfide Albion*1 has got them; they are now in the national collection. The result does infinite credit to. the zeal, enterprise, and activity of the administration of the E/itish Museum. But the satisfaction which so valuable an acquisition necessarily excites is not wholly unmixed. The investigation of truth is above and beside national predilection. The " Bruniquel Cave" series now divorced from the collections in j'rance, of which it forms a complement and upon which M. Lartet has been engaged since 1861, when he published his important researches on the Sepulture Cave of Aurignao. Those who take an interest in the advancement of our knowledge' of the subject would nave congratulated themselves if the Bruniquel material had been placed in his practised hands, to be included in the work which he and Mr Henry Christy are about to publish on the ancient remains of man of the " Cave" period in EVan.ce, One cirGqrastanee in the case deserves to be generally known. The instinct of a collector is to amass, hoard, and retain. Mr Henry Christy is the possessor of one ol the choicest private archaeological collections in Europe. M. Lartet and he explored the Dordogne Caverna on a large scale, with the object—first of esh^usting the ground, and' next o.f distributing dupUcate^. They." have presented huge slabs of the floor matrix, containing embedded f very variety of object, to all the principal museums in Europe, and selected se-ta to persons of all countries iiaving a recognised po3jtjon a,s laborers in the same field ; and ibis, too, before their own researches Avere published. In"their case a higher impulse extinguished the mere collector's instinct. ;No comment is required. Sir, your obedient servant, . H. Falcokeb. ; 21, Park Crescent, Portland place,

10th March