LUBBOCK ON THE KJOKKENMODDIXGS. 503 



Hients, tend to prove the greater antiquity of the remains found near 

 the Somme. These flint weapons have been actually found in situ 

 by Prestwich, Flower, G-audry, Pouchet, and others ; but even with- 

 out this satisfactory evidence, the genuineness of the weapons is, as 

 M. Boucher de Perthes and Mr. Prestwich have shown, completely 

 proved by their condition. Those which have lain in siliceous or 

 chalky sands have a peculiar vitreous lustre very different from the 

 comparatively dead surface generally presented by a newly broken 

 flint. Mr. Evans, however, has shown me a flint in which the recently 

 fractured surfaces have a gloss, certainly very much like that of the 

 Amiens and Abbeville specimens, which therefore, though generally 

 a good voucher for antiquity, cannot in all cases be implicitly relied 

 on. More conclusive is the evidence when the flints have lain " in 

 " ochreous sand, by which, especially if argillaceous, they are stained 

 " yellow, whilst in ferruginous sands and clays they assume a brown 

 " colour," and in some beds they become white and porcellaneous. 

 As will be seen, however, in PL VII., fig. 11, this alteration of 

 colour is quite superficial, and follows the outline of the present sur- 

 face, whereas if the weapon had been tampered with by the workmen, 

 they would have broken through the outer coating and exposed the 

 dark flint, as has, in fact, been done by the accidental fracture shown 

 in the figure. 



Moreover, the great antiquity of these most interesting remains 

 is farther proved by the position of the gravel beds in which they are 

 found. Not only are these strata covered by several feet of sand, con- 

 taining unbroken though very delicate land and freshwater shells, and 

 this again by brick earth, but they cap the hills on each side of the 

 Somme valley, which must therefore have been excavated, in part at 

 least, since they were deposited. The lower parts of the valley are 

 now occupied by peat, in which are found remains referred by M. 

 Boucher de Perthes to the Stone period, and it would seem there- 

 fore that we have here, at least, good evidence of two Stone ages, 

 one of which would be much older than the other, and would carry 

 back the origin of the human race to a date, at least, twice as remote 

 as that usually assigned to it. Further, it is evident that man must 

 have originated in a hot climate, and he could not have supported 

 the climate of the North until he had made some steps in civilization ; 

 at least, until he had learnt to light a fire and provide himself with 

 a dwelling place. 



Intensely interesting, therefore, as are the antiquities of Northern 

 Europe, it is, after all, in a hotter part of the world, and probably in 

 the tropics themselves, that we must look for the true cradle of the 

 human race. 



Prof. Steenstrup has promised to send us an account of his recent 

 progress in the investigation of the Kjokkenmoddings ; and I hope 

 also, perhaps in a future number of this Eeview, to compare the early 

 history of Denmark, as indicated by the tumuli and the ancient 

 weapons, with that of other neighbouring countries. 



The length to which this article has already extended, prevents 



VOL. I. — S". H. R. 3 T 



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