﻿428 
  ANNUAL 
  REPORT 
  SMITHSONIAN 
  INSTITUTION, 
  1922. 
  

  

  Of 
  the 
  Neolithic 
  period 
  there 
  are 
  chipped 
  and 
  polished 
  celts 
  and 
  

   chisels 
  from 
  various 
  localities, 
  the 
  large 
  cores 
  (livres 
  de 
  beure 
  from 
  

   a 
  supposed 
  resemblance 
  to 
  pounds 
  of 
  butter) 
  and 
  flakes 
  from 
  the 
  

   workshops 
  of 
  Grand-Pressigny 
  (Indre-et-Loire)* 
  knives, 
  hammer- 
  

   stones, 
  sling 
  stones, 
  grind, 
  5 
  mealing, 
  and 
  rubbing 
  stones, 
  worked 
  horn, 
  

   pottery 
  fragments 
  from 
  dolmens, 
  a 
  plaster 
  model 
  of 
  a 
  dolmen, 
  6 
  clay 
  

   beads 
  and 
  spindle 
  whorls. 
  7 
  The 
  osseous 
  remains 
  consist 
  of 
  the 
  bones 
  

   and 
  teeth 
  of 
  the 
  cave 
  bear, 
  rhinoceros, 
  aurox, 
  wild 
  goat, 
  reindeer, 
  and 
  

   horse, 
  and 
  fragments 
  of 
  a 
  human 
  jaw. 
  

  

  ITALY. 
  

  

  The 
  prehistoric 
  remains 
  from 
  Italy 
  come 
  largely 
  from 
  the 
  Terra- 
  

   mare 
  stations 
  near 
  Modena, 
  Castelaccio, 
  and 
  Castione, 
  and 
  from 
  the 
  

   lake 
  dwelling 
  stations 
  at 
  Lonato 
  and 
  Peschiera 
  on 
  Lake 
  Garda, 
  be- 
  

   sides 
  from 
  the 
  caves 
  of 
  Breonio 
  and 
  Lazarro, 
  the 
  island 
  of 
  Levengo, 
  

   Sicily, 
  island 
  of 
  Elba, 
  Tuscany, 
  and 
  other 
  localities. 
  They 
  include 
  

   a 
  variety 
  of 
  flake 
  implements 
  — 
  scrapers, 
  knives, 
  points, 
  arrowheads, 
  

   some 
  small 
  chipped 
  celts 
  or 
  chisels, 
  and 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  finely 
  polished 
  

   celts 
  and 
  chisels. 
  Mention 
  is 
  also 
  deserved 
  by 
  a 
  collection 
  of 
  forma 
  

   curiosa, 
  f 
  alsificates 
  which 
  originated 
  in 
  Breonio 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  neighbor- 
  

   hood 
  of 
  Santa 
  Anna, 
  Verona. 
  They 
  consist 
  of 
  gray 
  or 
  brown 
  flint, 
  

   chipped 
  in 
  form 
  of 
  crosses, 
  stars, 
  squares, 
  etc., 
  representing 
  neither 
  

   tools 
  nor 
  weapons 
  nor 
  ornaments. 
  There 
  is 
  also 
  a 
  considerable 
  

  

  * 
  They 
  are 
  debris 
  of 
  a 
  Neolithic 
  workshop 
  in 
  the 
  neighborhood 
  of 
  Grand-Pressigny, 
  De- 
  

   partment 
  of 
  Indre-et-Loire, 
  France. 
  The 
  products 
  of 
  this 
  industry, 
  easily 
  recognizable 
  by 
  

   their 
  yellow 
  waxen 
  color, 
  have 
  been 
  traced 
  not 
  only 
  in 
  various 
  parts 
  of 
  France, 
  but 
  also 
  

   in 
  Belgium 
  and 
  Switzerland, 
  so 
  that 
  apparently 
  an 
  export 
  trade 
  was 
  carried 
  on 
  by 
  the 
  

   neolithic 
  manufacturers. 
  

  

  6 
  The 
  grindstones 
  used 
  in 
  shaping 
  stone 
  implements 
  are 
  generally 
  of 
  compact 
  sandstone 
  

   or 
  quartzite 
  and 
  usually 
  of 
  two 
  forms 
  — 
  flat 
  slabs, 
  often 
  worn 
  by 
  use, 
  and 
  polygonal 
  forms 
  

   with 
  several 
  facets, 
  convex 
  and 
  concave. 
  In 
  the 
  operation 
  of 
  grinding, 
  the 
  grindstone 
  was 
  

   fixed 
  and 
  the 
  implements 
  were 
  rubbed 
  lengthways 
  on 
  the 
  grinding 
  bed, 
  as 
  shown 
  by 
  the 
  

   longitudinal 
  furrows, 
  or 
  striae, 
  which 
  characterize 
  the 
  implements 
  ; 
  and 
  from 
  the 
  coarse- 
  

   ness 
  of 
  these 
  furrows 
  on 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  implements, 
  especially 
  the 
  large 
  ones, 
  it 
  would 
  

   appear 
  that 
  some 
  coarse 
  and 
  hard 
  grit 
  must 
  have 
  been 
  used 
  to 
  assist 
  the 
  action 
  of 
  the 
  

   grindstone. 
  

  

  • 
  Stone 
  monuments 
  of 
  huge 
  size 
  have 
  been 
  found 
  in 
  various 
  regions 
  the 
  world 
  over, 
  and 
  

   may 
  be 
  traced 
  to 
  the 
  remotest 
  times. 
  Modern 
  statues, 
  obelisks, 
  and 
  other 
  monumental 
  

   works 
  are 
  the 
  lineal 
  descendants 
  of 
  these 
  crude, 
  unhewn 
  monoliths. 
  Such 
  stones 
  when 
  

   standing 
  single 
  and 
  isolated 
  are 
  called 
  menhirs; 
  when 
  several 
  of 
  them 
  are 
  arranged 
  in 
  a 
  

   circle 
  or 
  ring 
  they 
  are 
  called 
  cromlechs 
  ; 
  while 
  the 
  term 
  dolmen 
  (table 
  stone) 
  is 
  used 
  for 
  

   structures 
  consisting 
  of 
  a 
  large 
  capstone 
  supported 
  on 
  upright 
  stones, 
  usually 
  three 
  in 
  

   number 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  form 
  a 
  chamber 
  (see 
  model 
  in 
  case). 
  This 
  chamber 
  is 
  sometimes 
  em- 
  

   bedded 
  in 
  a 
  mound 
  of 
  earth 
  or 
  stones 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  present 
  the 
  form 
  of 
  a 
  tumulus 
  or 
  cairn. 
  

   It 
  is 
  believed 
  that 
  the 
  primary 
  object 
  of 
  these 
  monuments 
  was 
  sepulchral, 
  and 
  that 
  the 
  

   implements, 
  ornaments, 
  etc., 
  found 
  in 
  their 
  neighborhood 
  were 
  votive 
  offerings 
  to 
  the 
  

   dead. 
  The 
  megaliths 
  found 
  in 
  abundance 
  in 
  France, 
  especially 
  in 
  the 
  Province 
  of 
  Brittany, 
  

   are 
  regarded 
  as 
  marking 
  the 
  close 
  of 
  the 
  Neolithic 
  period. 
  

  

  T 
  In 
  their 
  simplest 
  form 
  spindle 
  whorls 
  are 
  disks 
  of 
  stone, 
  clay, 
  bone, 
  or 
  wood, 
  from 
  1 
  

   to 
  1J 
  inches 
  in 
  diameter, 
  pierced 
  in 
  the 
  center 
  for 
  inserting 
  the 
  shaft. 
  Sometimes 
  they 
  

   are 
  conical 
  and 
  ornamental 
  with 
  incised 
  lines. 
  They 
  served 
  as 
  flywheels 
  to 
  add 
  momentum 
  

   lo 
  rotary 
  motion 
  of 
  the 
  implement. 
  

  

  