Wecannot,however,failtorecognizetheevidenceoffacts。Wecanunderstandhowmenwereeverywhereimpelledtoraisemoundsabovethebodiesoftheirancestors,toperpetuatetheirmemoryortoenclosetheirmortalremainsbetweenflatstonestosavethemfrombeingcrushedbytheweightofearthabovethem。Wemayeven,bystrainingapoint,admittheideathatalargecistdevelopedintoadolmen,butwhenindistrictsseparatedbyenormousdistancesweseemonumentswiththewallpiercedwithacircularopeningorcombininganinteriorcryptwithanexternalmoundanddolmen,itisimpossibletolookuponthesecloseresemblancesastheresultofanaccidentalcoincidence,andequallyimpossibletofailtoconcludethatthemenwhosefuneralriteswereremarkableforsuchclosesimilaritybelongedtothesamerace。
Whatthenwasthisrace?ArethesemonumentswitnessesofthegreatAryanimmigrationwhichwasforsolongsupposedtohavespreadfromIndiaoverthecontinentsofAsiaandEurope,andofwhichtheIndo-Europeanlanguagesweresaidtopreservethememory?Orisitreallythefactthatarelationshipoflanguagedoesnotimplyarelationshipofrace?WerethebuildersofthedolmensCeltsorGauls,LiguresorCymri?wasHenryMartinrightinascribingtotheCimeriiofScandinaviatheerectionintheBronzeageofthemegalithsofIreland?WasittheTuranians,withtheirworshipofancestor’s,theirrespectforthetombsoftheirforefather’s,andtheirdesiretoperpetuatetheirmemorytoeternity,whosetupthedolmensofBrittany?WasitnotperhapsrathertheIberians,whosedescendantsstillpeopleSpainandthenorthofAfrica?AccordingtoMaury,thedistributionofthemegalithicmonumentsofEuropemarksthelastrefugeofvanquishedNeolithicraces,fleeingbeforetheirconquerors。Allthesehypothesesareplausible,allcanbedefendedbyarguments,theweightofwhichitisimpossibletodeny,butnonearecapableofconclusiveproof,nonecanfinallyconvincethestudent。[168]
AnoldWelshpoet,referringtothelongbarrowsofhisnativeland,saysthattheyarealtogetherinexplicable,andthatitisimpossibletodecidewhosetthemuporwhoisburiedbeneaththem。Andsurelythisancientbard[169]isrightevennow。Vainlydowequestionthesesilentwitnessesoftheremotepast。Theygiveusnoanswer,andwecanbutrepeatherewhatwesaidatthebeginningofthisinquiry:
Humanscienceispowerlesstolifttheveilbidingtheearlyhistoryofhumanity。Williteverbeso?Orwillthedayyetdawnwhentheveilwillberentasunderatlast?Timealonecansolvethisquestion,whichisoneofthosesecretsofthefutureasdifficulttofathomasthoseofthepast。
Industry,Commerce,andSocialOrganization;Fights,WoundsandTrepanation。
WhenweconsiderthediscoveriesconnectedwiththeStoneageasawhole,wearestruckwiththeimmensenumbersofweaponsofeverykindandofeveryvarietyofformfoundindifferentregionsoftheglobe。TheRomandominationextendedoveragreatpartoftheOldWorld,anditlastedformanycenturies。Everywherethispeople,illustriousamongstthenations,haslefttokensofitspowerandofitsindustry。Romanweapons,jewelry,andcoinsoccupyconsiderablespacesinourmuseums;butnumerousasaretheserelicsoftheRomans,theyarefarinferiorinnumbertotheobjectsdatingfromprehistorictimes,andflintsworkedbythehandofmanhavebeenpickedupbythousandsinthelastfewyears,formingincontestablewitnessesoftherapidgrowthofalargepopulation。
Oneimportantpointremainsobscure。SchmerlinghasexcavatedfiftycavesinBelgium,andonlyfoundhumanrelicsintwoorthreeofthem;
andofsixhundredexploredbyLundinBrazil,onlysixcontainedhumanbones。SimilarresultswereobtainedintheexcavationsofthemoundsofNorthAmerica,aswellasinthecavesofFrance。M。Hamy,inabookpublishedafewyearsago,onlymentionstwelvefindsofhumanbones,whichcould,withoutanydoubt,bedatedfromPalaeolithictimes。True,thisnumberhasbeenaddedtobyrecentdiscoveries,butitisstillquiteinsignificant。Itisthesamethingwiththekitchen-middingsandtheLakesettlements。Thispaucityofactualhumanremainsformsagapintheevidencerelatingtoprehistoricman,whichdisturbancesanddisplacementsdonotsufficientlyaccountfor,andtowhichweshallreferagainwhenspeakingofprehistorictombs。
Workedflintsaregenerallyfoundinnumbersinoneplace,probablyformerlyastationorcentreofhumanhabitation。Menwerebeginningtoformthemselvesintosocieties,andthedwellings,firstofthefamilyandthenofthetribe,rapidlygatheredtogethernearsomeriverrichinfish,orsomeforeststockedwithgameaffordingplentyoffoodeasilyobtained。Thecavesalsoaffordproofsofthenumberofmenwhoinhabitedthem。Inonealone,nearCracow,Ossowskidiscovered876boneimplements,morethan3,000flintobjects,andthousandsoffragmentsofpottery。FromtheVeyriercave,nearMountSaleve,weretakennearly1,000stoneimplements;fromthoseofPetitMorin,2,000arrow-heads;fromthatofCottes,onthebanksoftheGartampe,morethan264pounds’weightofflints,someoftheMousterienandothersoftheMadeleinetype,mixedwiththebonesoftherhinoceros,andofseverallargebeastsofpreyofindeterminate。species。TheAbbeDucrostpickedup4,000flintsinonedwellingaloneatSolutre,wherethesoiliscalcareousandflintisnotnative,sothatitmusthavebeenbroughtfromadistance。Morethan8,000differentobjectsweretakenfromthefineNeolithicstationofOrsintheisleofOleron;12,000chipsofstone,bearingmarksofhumanworkmanship,werepickedupintheThayngenCave,andmorethan80,000inthedifferentcavesofBelgium。TheshelterofChaleuxaloneyielded30,000
piecesofstone,ateverystageofworkmanship,fromthewasteofthemanufactorytothehighlyfinishedimplement。Otherexplorershavebeennolessfortunate。TheMarquisofWavrinfoundintheenvironsofGreznolessthan60,000workedstonesbelongingtonolessthanthirtydifferenttypes,chieflyarrow-heads,sometriangular,othersalmond-shaped,othersagaincuttingtransversely,somewithandsomewithoutfeathers,somestalked,othersnot;inaword,arrowsofeveryknowntype。NothingbutanactualvisittotheRoyalMuseumofBrusselscangiveanyideaoftheimportanceofthediscoveriesmadeinBelgium。
TheenvironsofParisare,however,nolessrich。AsearlyasPalaeolithictimesthevalleysoftheSeineanditstributarieswereevidentlyinhabitedbyanumerouspopulation。M。RivierementionsastationnearClamart,where,inalimitedspace,hepickedupmorethan900flints,someworked,othersmerechips,manyofwhichbadbeensubjectedtoheat。Asand-pitofLevallois-Perretyielded4,000
stoneobjects,andontheplateauofChampigny,fullofsuchterriblememoriesforthepeopleofFrance,werefoundnearly1,200flints,knives,polishedhatchets,lanceheadsandscrapers,mixedwithnumerousfragmentsofhand-madepotterywithoutornamentation。
Areyetotherexamplesneeded?At。deMortilletestimatesatmorethan25,000thenumberofspecimensfoundontheplateauofSaintAcheul,thesceneoftheearliestdiscoveriesthatrevealedtheexistenceofmaninQuaternarytimes;andthestationofConcise,onLakeNeuchatel,whichisoneofthemostancientinSwitzerland,yieldedayetmoreconsiderablenumber。Manyhave,however,beenlostordestroyed;theballastoftherailwayskirtingthelakecontainsthousandsofworkedstonesandofpiecesofthewasteleftinmakingthem,allofwhichweretakenfromthebedofthelake。Itmustnotbeforgottenthatitisonlyoflateyearsthattheimportanceoftheserelicsofthepasthasbeenrecognizedandthatanyonehasdreamtofpreservingorofstudyingthem。
TheexcavationofagravelpitatDundrumCountyDown,Ireland
yielded1,100flintimplements,andM。BellucihimselfpickedupintheprovinceofPerousemorethan17,000pieces,chieflyspear-,lance-,orarrow-heads,belongingtosixdifferenttypes。TheBroholmMuseumcontains72,409weaponsandimplements,allfoundinDenmark。
Wecanquotesimilarfactsinothercountries。PrehistoricstationsarenumerousintheSaharaandthroughouttheWadyelMya,inAlgeria,andwehavealreadyspokenofthenumerousspecimensfoundnearWargla。Theworkshopsinthisdistrictaregenerallysurroundedbyimmensenumbersofostricheggs,whichseemtoindicatethatthatbirdwasalreadydomesticated。[170]
InAmerica,Dr。AbbotthassenttothePeabodyMuseummorethan20,000stones,whichwerecollectedbyhimatTrenton,onthebanksoftheDelaware,andquiterecentlyIwastoldthatinsinkingawellinIllinoistheworkmencameuponadepositofmorethan1,000
workedflints,allofovalform。EveryoneknowstheimportanceoftherecentdiscoveriesatWashington,andwemightmultiplyexamplesADINFINITUM,foreverywhereexplorerscomeuponundoubtedtracesoftheactiveworkandintelligenceofcomparativelydensepopulations,allofwhomhadattainedtoaboutthesamedegreeofdevelopment。
Thesenumerousdepositsoftenmarkthe,siteofregularworkshops,tokensoftheearliestattemptatsocialorganization。Innootherwaycanweexplainthepilesofflintsineverystageofworkmanshiplyingbesidethelumpsfromwhichtheyweredetached。OneofthemostcelebratedoftheseworkshopsisthatofGrand-Pressigny,chieftownofthecantonofthedepartmentofIndre-et-Loire,whichisadmirablysituatedbetweentwopicturesquerivers,theClaiseandtheCreuse。
TheflintimplementsofGrand-Pressigny,ofwhichspecimenscanbeseeninallthemuseumsofEurope,aresomesixteenincheslong,oflightcolor,pointedatoneendandsquareattheother。Onefaceisrough,theotherchippedintothreeoblongpieces,whilstthesidesareroughlyhewnintosaw-liketeeth。Ifweexaminetheseflintscloselywecaneasilymakeouttheexactpoint,theEYE,asworkmencallit,wherethestonewasstruck。AtCharbonniere,onthebanksoftheSaone,toquoteotherexamples,inaradiusoflessthanamile,werefoundweapons,tools,andnuclei,whichmaybecomparedwiththoseofGrand-Pressigny。Insomeplacesthecollectionsofflintsstillremaininglookasiftheyhadbeenusedforroad-making。Insomecaseshatchets,knives,andscrapersseemtohavebeenburiedinpits。Werethesethereservestoresofthetribe,ortheso-calledCACHESofthemerchants?
Itisdifficultmerelytonamethedifferentworkshopsormanufactoriesdiscoveredinthelastfewyears。Wemust,however,endeavortomentionthemostimportant,fortheseworkshops,wemustrepeat,areanimportantproofoftheexistenceofasocietyoforganizedworkingcommunities。WemeetwiththemontheshoresofthebayofKiel,intheislandofAnholt,inthemidstoftheKattegat,andonthebordersofthePetchoura,andoftheSoula,amongtheSamoieds。Virchowdiscoveredanarrow-headmanufactoryontheshoresofLakeBurtneek,andin1884theMoscowSocietyofNaturalSciencesmadeknowntheexistenceofimportantworkshopsneartheVetlugaRiver,intheprovinceofKostroma,sothatweknowthatinremoteprehistorictimesmenlivedandfoughtinarigorousclimateindistrictsbutsparselypopulatedinourownday。
Thereisnothingtosurpriseusinallthesefacts。RecentlyneartheYeneseiRiver,intheheartofSiberia,werefoundbronzedaggers,hatchetsandbridlebitsFig。71,allbearingwitnessinthebeautyoftheirworkmanshiptoamoreadvancedstateofcivilizationthantheLakeDwellingsormegalithicmonumentsfarthersouth。Manyofthemareornamentedwithfiguresofanimals,sothatatanepochlessremote,itistrue,thantheonewehavebeenconsidering,butstillfarremovedfromourown,wefindthattherewasanintelligentrace,withartistictastes,livinginacountrynowsointenselycoldastobeuninhabitabletoallbutafewmiserablenomadTartars。
AtSpiennes,nearMons,afieldwasdiscovered,knownastheCAMP
DESCAYAUX,strewnwithflints,someuncut,othershewn,togetherwithknivesandhatchetsinnumerable。TherewerealsocentresofmanufactureatHoxneandBrandon,inEngland,atBellariainBologna,andatRomeontheTiburtineWay。AtPonte-Molle,whereworkedflintswerediscoveredforthefirsttimeinItalyafewyearsago,aworkshopwasfound,remarkableforthegreatnumberofstags’
antlers,fromwhichthemiddleparthadbeenremoved,doubtlesstobeusedashandlesfortools。M。deRossi,whogivesusthesedetails,thinksthatthisstationwasinhabitedinthePaleolithicperiod。InthesettlementofConcisehavebeenfoundnotonlystoneimplements,butagreatmanyarticlesmadeofbone,sothatthisplacewasevidentlyanimportantmanufacturingcentre。Knives,stilettos,andarrowheadswereturnedouthere,andinthehandsofskilfulworkmenthetusksoftheboars,whichaboundedatthistimeinSwitzerland,wereconvertedintoexcellentchisels。