THE PLEISTOCENE OR GLACIAL PERIOD 923 



assembled and somewhat widely accepted as conclusive of man's 

 presence in America in glacial times. The rise of a more critical 

 spirit in archaeologic geology, and the application of more rigorous 

 criteria have, however, disclosed weaknesses both in the evidence 

 and in the interpretations put upon it, with the result that man's 

 antiquity in America is a more open question to-day than it was 

 thought to be fifteen years ago. 



Prehistoric human relics in America range from the rudest 

 stone chippings and flakings to skillfully fashioned and often 

 polished handiwork in stone, metal, and bone. Following European 

 precedent, the earlier students in America classed the rougher 

 artefacs * as paleolithic, and interpreted them as indicating the 

 presence of Paleolithic man, and of the Paleolithic or Old Stone 

 age in America. The more perfectly fashioned artefacs were classed 

 as neolithic, with corresponding reference to 

 the Neolithic or New Stone age. Some inves- 

 tigators very properly regard " paleolithic " 

 and " neolithic" merely as stages of early art, 

 and not as chronological "ages," or geologic 

 divisions, but the terms have been much 

 used in the latter sense. 



The relics interpreted as paleoliths con- 

 sist chiefly of rudely chipped pieces of flint, 

 quartz, argillite, etc. (Fig. 602). With them 

 other products of early art are found. The 

 neoliths embrace a wider range of stone 

 artefacs, typified by well-chipped arrow- 

 points, spear-heads, knives, and scrapers of 

 flint or quartz, and by the ground and pol- 

 ished axes, chisels, pestles, mortars, and other 

 implements of greenstone and similar tough 

 or workable rock. The paleoliths, as defined 

 above, were confidently interpreted as the 

 work of an earlier and less cultured people, while the neoliths 



1 The term " artefac " designates any object fashioned by man, in any way 

 or for any purpose, or, incidentally, without purpose. It includes stone 

 chips, broken and rejected material, and various forms of by-products, as 

 well as implements, weapons, ornaments, etc. 



Fig. 602. A typical 

 paleolith from Kent's 

 Cavern, Torquay, 

 England, seen on the 

 face and edge. (Ev- 

 ans.) 



