“STONE AGE” PEOPLE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20642, 14 February 1929, Page 2

“STONE AGE” PEOPLE.

DISCOVERIES IN MONGOLIA. HISTORY OF 20,000 YEARS. “ Has the cradle of the human race actually been discovered?” This question was eagerly put, during a meeting recently at the New Oxford and Cambridge Club, London, to Dr Roy Chapman Andrews, world famous as the leader of the American Natural History Museum’s post-war explorations in Mongolia, who was on his way back to New York after two year’s absence in China,

“Wo hare discovered evidence,” he replied, “ which reveals the whole life history of a Stone Age people, who lived in what is now the Gobi Desert, between 20,000 and 23,000 yeale ago. There were millions of them.

“ It looks as if these are the originals of people who spread to France and Spain to the west and to America eastwards. Until we have carefully examined the evidence, however, it is unwise to say more.” “ The expeditions have now stretched over eight years,” Dr Andrews explained, “and this year we were able to cover an immense amount of ground because we used motor transport over a gravel desert in addition to camels. PEOPLE NUMBERED MILLIONS. “ We have found no human remains whatever so far. We have nevertheless, discovered traces of a Stone Age culture which astonished us. They proved the existence of a people who numbered millions.

_ “ Hitherto we have thought of primitive men as little groups of families living in caves and rock shelters. We have discovered, however, three or ifour hundred points of ' dunes,’ where large communities lived. _ “ We have also evidence of a reliable kind which tells us exactly how they lived down the ages, and can trace their culture over a period of 20,000 years. The stone imp'ements number thousands. These people did not live in natural shelters, but probably used stretched skins of animals to provide shelter.

“ They were great hunters, clever, and courageous. They hunted the wild aas and the antelope. As time went on they made bows and arrows. They also trapped and netted birds. . They ate frogs. Their ‘implement-making factories _ suggest some ways of making flint implements scarcely realised by those who have studied the subject. In some extraordinary way they were able to pusli flakes off cores of stone instead of striking them off. Their jasper arrowheads are marvellous.

“More important than those, however, are evidence of the arts and crafts of tnc Inter peoples. Ido not suggest that they knew anything of agriculture dr of the pbtter’s wheel, but we have found articles which seem to have been used foi grinding seeds, and as receptacles.

“ We have got bits of pottery which to have been baked, and have certainly been decorated by little incisions.'’

When Dr Andrews was asked to explain the absence of human remains he replica:—

The conditions are not good for the preservation of bones. We have not, however, made a really thorough search There is a valley which we know of that will have to be carefully combed by a future expedition. It simply teems with remains. ’