“OUR ANCESTORS.”

Otago Witness, Issue 3612, 5 June 1923, Page 6

“OUR ANCESTORS.”

STONE AGE IN WESTERN EUROPE. There was a large attendance at the meeting of the Archaeological Branch of the Otago Institute in the Museum on the 22nd inst., when Mr H. D. Skinner delivered a lecture on the subject of ‘The Stone Ago in Western Europe.” The Rev. Dr Dickie occupied the chair. Before commencing his lecture Mr Skinner brought under the notice of those present a number of exhibits which had recently been acquired by the Museum, and which, lie stated, would form the nucleus of a collection of Babylonian and Assyrian antiquities. These had been purchased from the collection of the late Mr John Bulleid. of Oainaru, and they consisted mainly of casts, but there was one original among thoni. The largest of the articles was a. cast of a Babylonian doorpost, the post cf the door fitting into a socket in which it revolved. Coming to the subject of his address for the evening, Mr Skinner, after making passing reference to a similar lecture delivered some time ago by Dr Colquhoun, referred to the growth of the collection of prehistoric articles, mnnv of which they saw before them that evening. Many of these, he stated, had been necessTv tv tl’o l'’-I'iips on anthropology which he had been delivering at the University, and for that reason he hid obtained them Uom ' 1 one. in seme cases by exchange with the British Museum. Continuing, Mr Skinner gave a brief sketch of geological time, putting in the background against which human history had been worked out. lie explained that it was only with the most recent geological periods that we were concerned. Man, of course, belonged to the present day so far as geological time was concerned, but recently the date of his appearance had been pushed back very definitely into the later phases of the Tertiary period by the finding of implements at Foxliall, in East Anglia. These were discovered by an archaeologist who believed that they were definitely over the border of the Tertiary period, and belonged to the Quarternary period, but his theory met with seme opposition until an international commission of eminent experts unanimously pronounced in favour of their authenticity; and we were now able to conclude that man was definitely in existence as man at the close of the Tertiary period. Proceeding. Mr Skinner examined at length the different periods of “industries” in the history cf man, illustrating his remarks from numerous exhibits in the possession of the Museum, and also by means of some slides, showing in some cases remarkably high pictorial and artistic skill on the part cf our ancestors of the dim past. Especially interesting was his brief reference to the glacial period during which the ice advanced and retreated several times, causing, during its advance, periods of intense cold in Western Europe, and bringing about a. re-distribution of the fauna. Unrionslv enough, a Swedish geologist had discovered a method of calculating (he time of the last: ice advance, and we now knew when that, episode reached its maximum and when the ice lie-can to retire. According to this discovery the last glaciation had its maximum about 17.000 years ago. The characteristics of (lie various other “industries” were sketched in a highly interesting manner by the lecturer, who concluded with a brief reference to the implements cf the neolithic mid bronze periods. At the close of the address Dr Marshall Macdonald moved a very hearty vote of thanks to the lecturer for his very graphics and lucid address —an address that was nob only interesting in itself, but that did much to stimulate their thoughts. .They were fortunate in having in Dunedin such a man as Mr Skinner whose work was known and recognised in America as well as in England. Professor Adams seconded the motion, which was carried by acclamation.