BronzeobjectsfoundatKrasnojarskSiberia。
TonamethedistrictswheretoolsweremanufacturedinprehistorictimesinFrancewouldbetogivealistofallthedepartments。InthecommuneofSaint-JulienduSautwefindalargemanufactorywhereeverydivisionoftheStoneageisfullyrepresented,fromthetimeofthesimplychippedhatchettothatofthepolishedimplementofrareperfection。Everythingbearswitnesstotheprolongedresidenceofmaninaneighborhoodwhichofferedtheattractionofvastdepositsofchalkwithbandsofflintthatsuppliedalikeweaponsandtools。Amongstothers,wemustnametheso-calledATELIERDELA
TREICHE,nearToul,whichextendsforanareaofaboutahundredacres,thatofBonaruc,nearDax;surroundedbywastelandscoveredwithascantyvegetation;thatofRochebertierCharente,whichprobablydatesfromtheMadeleineperiod;andthatofEcorche-Boeuf,nearPerigueux。TheAbbeCochettellsusofanatelierintheAulnevalley,andMauriceSandofanothernearLaChatre,wherewemeetwiththemostancienttracesofmaninBerry。Inthefields,nearanalignmentnotfarfromAutun,werepickedupnumbersofhatchetsofbardrock,barbedarrows,flakesofflintworkedintoscrapersorchisels,whilstnearthemweretheverypolishersonwhichtheyhadbeenpointed。
Wehavejustspokenofpolishers,andwesaidsometimeagothatitwasbyprolongedrubbingthattheremarkableweaponsofNeolithictimeswereproduced。WemustaddnowthatawholeseriesofthepolishersusedaretobeseenontherightbankoftheLoing,nearNemours;
oneofwhichisaregulartableFig。72,onwhichcanbemadeoutnolessthanfiftygroovesandtwenty-fivecup-likedepressions。
Prehistoricpolisher,nearthefordofBeaumoulin,Nemours。
Onewouldhaveexpectedtofindthegroundnearthesepolisherscoveredwithflakesofflintandpiecesoftoolsofallkinds,butnothingofthekindhasbeendiscovered;afactwhichleadsitstosupposethattheworkmenonlycamedownintothevalleytofinishofftheirweaponsbypolishingthem。
Attheperiodweareconsideringallthecontinentswerepeopled,andwemustrepeat,foritisthemostimportantpointofourpresentstudy,thatthecivilizationattainedtobytheinhabitantswaseverywherealmostidentical。ThuswefindcentresofmanufacturesimilartothoseofEuropeatthefootofthemountainsofTunisandofAlgeria。Inoneofthelatter,atHassialRhatmaia,thekniveswerepiledupinoneplace,thescrapersinanother,andthearrow-headsinathird。InthisdispositionM。Rabourdinthinksheseesasignofthedivisionoflabor,oneofthemostimportantfeaturesofmodernprogress。M。ArcelinmentionsasimilardepositonthesummitoftheJebelKalabshee,nearEsnehinEgypt,andafewyearsagoanotherwasfoundinPalestine,neartheancientBerytus,containinggreatnumbersofhatchets,saws,scrapers,andalltheimplementscharacteristicoftheStoneage;whilstamongstthemlaytheblocksfromwhichtheyhadbeencut。AsiaMinorwasevidentlyanimportantmanufacturingcentreduringtheStoneage,and,asamatterofcourse,itmusthavehadaconsiderablepopulation;andeveninAmericadiscoveriesofsimilarextenthavebeenmade。AtKinosha,inWisconsin,Laphammadeoutamanufactoryofflintandquartzitearrow-heads,whichdatesfromprehistorictimes,andquiterecentlyayetmoreimportantcentreofindustryhasbeendiscoveredatSt。AndrewWinnipeg。
ThemanufactoriesofSpiennesandBrandondeservespecialnotice,astheyshowushowourancestorsgottheflinttheyusedinsteadofmetal。AtSpiennes,[171]theexcavationswerebegunintheopenair,thenthechalkcontainingtheflintwasreachedbythesinkingofverticalshafts,manyofwhichwereasmuchasfortyfeetindepth。Theseshaftswereconnectedwitheachotherbygalleriesrunningineverydirection,butalwaysfollowingthebeltsofflints。Cuttingshavebroughttolighttheveryimplementsoftheancientminers。Theywereofthesimplestdescription,suchaspicksmadeofstag-hornandheavystonehammers,allalikebearingmarksoflongservice。[172]
SimilarresultswereobtainedinEngland。CanonGreenwellexplorednearBrandon,inSuffolk,aseriesof254shafts,knownintheneighborhoodasGrime’sGraves。AsatSpiennes,theshaftswereconnectedbygalleriesfromthreetofivefeethigh,andoneofthetawastwenty-sevenfeetlong。TheshaftsandgallerieshadbeenhollowedoutwiththehelpofpicksexactlylikethosefoundinBelgium;seventy-ninewerepickedupthathadbeenthrownawaybytheworkmen。[173]
SomefewyearsagoMM。CartailhacandBoulediscoveredoneoftheseprimitivequarriesatMurdeBarrez,thechieftownofthedepartmentofAveyron。[174]
Theymadeouteightshaftsinthefaceofalayeroflimestonesomeeighty-onefeetlong,andateveryturnoftheirexcavationstheycametofreshshafts。Theseshaftsopenedouttowardsthetoplikefunnels,andthe,werenotmorethanthreefeetthreeinchesbelowthesurface,theflinthavingbeenstruckatthatdepthFig。73。Theseshaftswere,inmanycases,continuedbygalleries,asseeninourillustrationFig。74,orbytrenches,wherethelightis,however,moreorlessshutoutbysmalllandslips。Itisstilleasy,inspiteofthis,tomakeoutthefloorofthemine,foritistroddenhardbythefeetoftheancientminers。Tracesofcharcoal,too,revealthepaththeytook,andwelearnatthesametimethattheyusedfiretohelpthemintheirwork。
Sectionofaflintmine;Tvegetableearth,Cpurelimestone,CM
Marlylimestone,Sflint。
M。Boule,[175]fromwhomweborrowthesedetails,cannotrestrainhisastonishmentatthepracticalknowledgeshownbytheseprehistoricminers。Hetellsusthattheysometimeslefttheflintstandingaspillarsatprettyshortintervals,ortheyproppedupthegallerieswithevenmoreresistantmaterial,cementingthemwithclayorwithcalcareousearthtakenfromthedetritus。Inspiteoftheseprecautions,landslipsfrequentlyoccurred,andimplementsofstag-hornFig。75haveoftenbeenflattenedbythefalloftheroofofthegallery。ItisreallycurioustofindimplementsofanexactlysimilarkindusedforexactlysimilarpurposesatSpiennes,Brandon,MurdeBarrez,andatCissbury,towhich,however,weshallhavetoreferagain。IntheshaftsofAveyron,asinthoseofEngland,themarksofblowsofthepicksarestilltobeseen,andinmanycasesaflintorhorn-pickpointisstillimbeddedintherockorlimestone,asiftheminerhadbutjustlefthiswork。
Planofagallery,halfdestroyedinmakingtheexcavationwhichrevealeditsexistence。Ugallerystillvisible;G’gallerydestroyedbytheexcavation。
InthislastexampleofwhathasbeendoneinFrance,wemustalsoaddthatoftheshaftsofNointelOiseandthosediscoveredinMainebyM。deBaye,inbothofwhichwerefoundnodulesofflintindifferentstagesofpreparation,togetherwithsomestag-hornpicks。Innoneoftheseexcavationswasanymetalimplementfound,oranytraceoftheuseofmetal,sothatwemustconcludethattheminesdatefromNeolithictimes。
Wehaveseenhowmangraduallybroughttoperfectionthetoolsandweaponswhichwereatfirstsoclumsy。Thegrowthofindustryledtothebirthofcommerce,or,tospeakmoreaccurately,tothatofbarter。Fromthetimeoftheearliestmigrationsintercoursewasbegun,orratherwascarriedon,betweenthetribes,astheygraduallydispersed,oftentravellingconsiderabledistancesfromeachother,andfreshproofsoftheserelationsarecontinuallybroughttolightaswebecomebetteracquaintedwithprehistorictimes。Theflintsworkedbythecave-menofBelgium,thefossilshellssonumerousatChaleux,intheFrontalandNutoncaves,atThayngenonthefrontierbetweenSwitzerlandandGermany,inItaly,inthestationsofanteriordatetotheTERREMAREbeds,havebeenfoundtheshellsofthepearloysteroftheIndianOcean,whilstinthecavesofthesouthofFrance,suchastheMadeleine,thatofCro-Magnon,BizeinHerault,andSolutreonthebanksoftheSaonehavebeenpickeduptheshellsofArcticmarinemollusca。Thecave-manofGourdanwasdeckedwithshellsfromtheMediterranean,andthemanofMentoneinhisturnworeahead-dressmadeofAtlanticshells。Fossilshellswerealsomuchsoughtafter;
wehavealludedtothosefromChampagnefoundinBelgium;othersfromtheshell-marlofTouraineandAnjouhadbeentakenintothecavesofPerigord,whilstsea-urchinsfromthecretaceousstrataofthesouthofFrancewerefoundinaprehistoricstationofAuvergne,andM。MassenatpickedupatLaugerie-BassetwospecimensofaspeciesnotmetwithanywherebutintheEocenedepositsoftheisleofWight。TheNeolithicstationofChampigny,nearParis,hasyieldedsomeobjectsfromtheAlps,andfromBelgium,fromtheVosgesMountains,andthePuydeDome。
Picks,hammers,andmattocksmadeofstag-horn。
InthecavesofPerigordwerealsofoundfragmentsofhyalinequartz,whichmusthavebeenbroughtfromtheAlpsorthePyrenees。InBrittanyandinMarneflintsforeigntothesegranitedistrictsarenumerous;
andDr。PrunierestellsusthatsimilardiscoveriesweremadeunderthemegalithicmonumentsofFrance,andthatneitherintheerodedlimestonedistrictsofLozere,knownlocallyasLESCAUSSES,norunderthedolmensofHaute-Vienne,werefoundanybutimplementsmadeofrocknotnativetothecountry。
Hatchets,daggers,andnuclei,orastheyarecharacteristicallycalledbythecountrypeopleLIVRESDEBEURRE,fromGrand-Pressigny,havebeenpickedupinthebedoftheSeine,atLimagneinAuvergne,inBrittany,atSaintMedardnearBordeaux,onthebanksoftheMeuse,andevenasfarnorthastheShetlandIslands。AtConcisewasfoundredcoralfromtheMediterranean,whilsttheyellowamberoftheBalticwaspickedupintheLakeDwellingsofSwitzerland,beneaththedolmensofBrittany,insepulchralcaves,suchasthoseofOyesMarneorLombrivesAriege,beneaththemegalithictombofLaRoquette,atSaintPargoueHeraultbeneaththedolmenofGrailheGard,atMalpas,andatBaumeArdeche。[176]ThesearenearlyallNeolithictombs,thoughsomefewofthemmaydatefromthebeginningoftheBronzeage;butthecave-menofFranceownedamberevenearlierthanthis,forfivefragmentshavebeenfoundintheAurensanCavenearBagneres-de-Bigorre,whichwasinhabitedinPalaeolithictimes。Jadeiteandnephrite[177]aremetwithintheLakeDwellingsofSwitzerlandandBavaria,asinthecavesofLiguriaandSardinia;
chloromelanite[178]inFrance,andobsidian[179]inLorraine,intheislandofPianosaandintheCyclades。Wehavealreadyspokenofthecalaite[180]foundbeneaththedolmensofBrittany,andwemayaddnowthatithasalsobeenfoundinthecavesofPortugalandbeneaththemegalithicmonumentsofthesouthofFrance。
CommercedevelopedrapidlyduringNeolithictimes,and,asfaraswecanmakeoutfromtracesleft,itscoursewasfromthesoutheasttothenorthwest。Streamsandriverswerefollowedbymerchantsasbyemigrants,andatanextremelyremotedatetheseanolongerarrestedthejourneysofmen。AtarecentmeetingoftheBritishAnthropologicalInstitute,MissBucklanddweltontheresemblanceinthematerial,shape,andornamentationofagoldencupfoundin,Cornwall,toothercupsfoundatMykenaeandatTarquinii,andmaintainedthattheCornishcupmusthavebeentheworkofthesameartisans,andhavebeenbroughtbycommercefromwhatwasthentheextremityoftheknownworld。
ItisnotonlyinEuropethatwecantracetherelationsestablishedbetweenmenseparatedbyvastdistances,byoceans,andbyapparentlyimpassabledeserts。TheshellsoftheAtlanticandthoseofthePacific,thecopperofLakeSuperior,themicaoftheAlleghanies,andtheobsidianofMexicolietogetherbeneaththetumuliofOhio,andquiterecentlyMr。PutnamexhibitedtotheSocietyofAntiquariesacollectionofjadeceltsandornaments,somefromNicaragua,othersfromCostaRica,andahatchetwithbothedgessharpenedfromMichigan。NodepositofjadehassofarbeendiscoveredontheAmericancontinent,sothatwecanonlysupposetheseobjectstohavebeenbroughtfromAsiaatanunknowndate。Themarkstheyretainofhavingbeenrubbedup,andtheholesmadeinthemtohangthem。up,showwhatstorewassetbythem。
Monumentsofmanykindsscatteredoverdifferentcountries,weaponsandimplements,relicsastheyareofaremotepast,enableustogainacloserinsightintothemanners,customs,andmodeoflifeofourancestorsoftheStoneage。Wecanpicturetheirdailylife,whichweknowtohavebeenonelongstruggle,withoutbreakortruce,fortheyhadtocontend,notonlywithwildanimalsbutwitheachother,tofightfortheuseoftheircavesofrefuge,fortheirhuntingfields,andfortheirwatercourses;andlater,thefirstshepherdshadtodobattleforthepasturagenecessaryfortheirflocks。Itisonlytoocertainthat,fromtheearliestdawnofhumanity,mengaveway,withoutanyeffortatself-control,totheirbrutalpassions。Therightofthestrongestwastheonlylaw,andwherevermanpenetratedhiscoursewasmarkedbyviolenceandbydeath。OneofthefemoraofanoldmanwasfoundinthecelebratedCro-MagnonCave,bearingadeepdepressioncausedbyablowofaprojectile,andontheforeheadofthewomanthatlaybesidehimisalargewoundmadebyasmallflinthatchetFig。76。Thisgashonthefrontalbonepenetratedtheskull,andwasprobablythecauseofdeath,butnotofsuddendeath,forroundaboutthewoundaremarksofanattemptathealingit。[181]
AccordingtoDr。Hamy,manyofthebonesfoundintheSordesCavehaveverycuriouswounds。AgapingholeontherightparietalofawomanmusthavebeenaterriblewoundFig。77。ThewomanofSordes,likethatofCro-Magnon,musthavesurvivedforsometime;themarksoftheremovalofsplintersofbone,whichcanquiteeasilybemadeout,leavenodoubtonthatpoint。[182]