Implements and Artefacts of the North-cast Greenlanders. 475 



near two thousand items. It will thus be seen, that iron must have 

 been extremely scarce. 



The Norwegian ethnographer, Dr. O. Solberg, in his pioneer 

 work "Beiträge zur Vorgeschichte der Osteskimo", distinguishes bet- 

 ween the true Eskimo stone age, represented, as far as Greenland is 

 concerned, markedly and typically on the northern portion of the 

 West Coast — and a later stone age during which metal is known, 

 but not actually available, wherefore the form of the iron cutting 

 edge is imitated in stone. Knives and weapon points of slate are 

 there predominant; to this period also belongs the slate-bladed Ulo. 



To the later stone age belongs, according to Solberg, the stone 

 age of North-east Greenland, and to this it must still be ascribed, 

 albeit the Danmark Expedition has brought to light certain imple- 

 ments, the non-existence of which is cited by Solberg in support 

 of his theory as to the slight antiquity of this stone age.^ Thus 

 several stone bits for drills have been found (p. 439—40) a large 

 strong scraper (Fig. 34) a flint core, from which flakes are taken off, 

 of the same diminutive size as commonly encountered in the finds 

 from West Greenland (PI. VII, 12) as also some more or less shaped 

 chippings of flint. The scraper is in this connection of minor im- 

 portance, as this implement is retained in stone far on into the iron 

 age;'-^ more significance attaches to the other items mentioned, es- 

 pecially the flint core, which cannot be overlooked as an indication 

 that the same small flakes were here shaped and used as in the 

 stone age of West Greenland. 



The Danmark Expedition has enriched the stone age material 

 from North-east Greenland by the finding of several new forms 

 of implements, and it is not impossible that subsequent expeditions 

 may serve to throw further light upon the earliest occupation of this 

 coast. Thostrup is doubtless justified in noting as a point of some 

 importance the fact that the oldest ruins are so faintly discernible 

 on the ground, and may thus easily be overlooked, or passed by as 

 unpromising;-^ it should also, in my opinion, be borne in mind that 

 the investigation of North-east Greenland has been carried out by 

 expeditions working under difficult conditions, with little time to 

 spend on detail, having many aims of various nature to consider, 

 and frequently without previous experience in archæological work. 

 It is thus not surprising that the small, inconspicuous flint objects 

 are not found. In the case of the West Coast, on the other hand, 

 the large quantity of stone age material from here, especially from 

 Disco Bay, was obtained from time to time during the course of 

 almost a century, largely through the agency of Danish residents, 



1 Solberg, p. 60. ^ Cf. Mason III, p. 581. ^ Thostrup, p. 338. 



