248 



AQTJITANIC^E. 



XXIV. 



NOTES ON OBJECTS OF STONE FROM THE CAVE OF LES EYZIES, VALLEY OF THE 

 VEZERE, PERIGORD. By Professor T. RUPERT JONES, F.R.S., F.G.S. 



A CLASSIFIED catalogue of the flint flakes and implements, and of other stone 

 objects, found in each of the Caves on the Ve"zere would be very instructive, but 

 cannot be compiled. Nor, indeed, can the contents of any one of the Caves be 

 enumerated in detail. By enumerating, however, such specimens from one Cave 

 as have been preserved in the CHRISTY COLLECTION, we may probably find an 

 average and sufficiently characteristic assortment. We take, therefore, those 

 preserved from the Cave of Les Eyzies*, grouping them as follows : 



I. Pieces of rocks foreign to the locality, and either washed down from the 

 higher country by the river (see page 28, and the Map at page 29), and then 

 picked up and introduced into the Cave ; or brought from a distance by the Cave- 

 folk themselves. In either case, probably they have been used for some purpose, 

 evident or obscure (as Nos. 2, 8, 19, 20, 21, 22, 24, 28, 29, 30) and sometimes 

 engraved with recognizable outlines or marked with less intelligible scorings (as 

 Nos. 3, 9, 13, 14, 17, 27). The use of the Iron-pyrites (No. 30) as a Strike-a-light, 

 and of the Haematite (Nos. 28 and 29) for paint, is of much interest. Several of 

 the articles having been figured, as noted in the List, their full descriptions will 

 easily be found. 



II. Flint. Besides some few irregular fragments, and one roughly chipped 

 hammer-like piece, we find 53 Cores, 436 Flakes (simple and dressed), and 155 

 " Scrapers " of Flint arranged in the Collection; but these necessarily constitute 

 only a small portion of the whole quantity taken from the Cave. In enumerating 

 the different kinds, we refer to the specimens from Les Eyzies figured in the 

 Plates A ; and the descriptions accompanying those figures will supply detailed 

 information regarding them 



There is one Knapping Stone f, if not two, in this series (Nos. 22 & 23); and 

 four of the curious Mortar-stones (No. 20). There are five, also, of the latter 



* See above, pages 5, 20, 36, 170, 182. 



t A quartz pebble Knapper from Le Moustier, and one of granite from La Madelaine, may be mentioned. 



