152 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL.83 



were at first inclined to look upon the skull as pathological ; to Barnard 

 Davis ' its sutures appeared to show premature synostosis ; while 

 Blake ' and his followers regarded the specimen as probably proceed- 

 ing from an idiot. But there were also those, such as Schaaffhausen, 

 Broca, and others, who from the beginning saw in the cranium (the 

 other bones received at first but little attention) not any pathological 

 or accidental monstrosity, but a peculiar, theretofore unknown type of 

 ancient humanity. Then gradually new examples of this same early 

 type appeared in different parts of Europe, under circumstances which 

 steadily strengthened the claim of the whole class to geological 

 antiquity; and when eventually a thorough comparative study of the 

 Neanderthal remains was carried out by modern methods and in 

 view of new knowledge, the cranium and bones were definitely recog- 

 nized as representing, in a normal and most characteristic way, a 

 most interesting earlier phase or variety of mankind, our later Qua- 

 ternary predecessor or close relative. Homo neandcrthalensis . The 

 credit for deserving work in this field is due especially to Prof. G. 

 Schwalbe, of Strassburg, whose numerous publications on the early 

 forms of human remains in Europe are well known to every anthro- 

 pologist.^ 



The remains of the Neanderthal skeleton are preserved in the 

 Provincial Museum at Bonn, where, due to the courtesy of the di- 

 rector, Professor Hans Lehner, the writer was enabled to examine 

 the originals and later have them photographed. 



THE SKULL 



The skull (pis. 29-31) is gray in color, with large mud-brownish or 

 gray-sepia patches on the outside, and whitish gray to whitish brown 

 on the inside. It is decidedly heavy and much mineralized. It is plainly 

 non-pathological. The sagittal suture has evidently closed earlier than 

 it ordinarily does in the civilized modern man, but this must have 

 taken place after the brain ceased to influence the cranial vault, for 

 it resulted in no perceptible deformation. The coronal suture is 



^ Davis, J. Barnard, The Neanderthal skull, etc., London, 1864. 



^ Blake, C. Carter, On the alleged peculiar characters and assumed antiquity 

 of the human cranium from the Neanderthal. Journ. Anthrop. Soc, London, 

 Vol. 2, pp. 139-157, 1864; also Mem. Anthrop. Soc, London, Vol. 2, p. 74, 1866. 



^ Those especially worthy of mention in this connection are : Lleber die Scha- 

 delformen der altesten Menschenrassen, mit besonderer Beriicksichtigung des 

 Schadels von Egisheim. Mitteilungen der philomathischen Gesellschaft in 

 Elsas-Lothringen. 5, Jahrg., Vol. 3, 1897; and Der Neandertalschadel, Bonner 

 Jahrbiicher, Heft 106; 72 Stn. i Tafel, 1901. 



