THE EARLIEST MEN 191 



under discussion amongst scientists, it may be 

 said, first, that it seems likely that it dates 

 back to a period of extreme antiquity, though it 

 may be impossible to translate this statement into 

 any actual number of years in such a manner as to 

 stand criticism. Secondly, it may also be said that 

 the skull is that of a man, and, even more, that the 

 skull is of a character not inferior to that of races 

 now in existence on this earth. Further, the imple- 

 ments found with it, if indeed they be the imple- 

 ments of the race to which the former owner of the 

 skull belonged, are definite human instruments of a 

 kind quite familiar to students of prehistoric 

 archaeology. 



Later Examples. The specimens which have 

 been so far engaging our attention are of a more 

 or less isolated character, at least in our present 

 state of knowledge, and present, as has been in- 

 dicated, many features difficult to explain, and 

 perhaps incapable of complete explanation. Such 

 was the case, up to what we may fairly call the 

 other day, with regard to some of the other speci- 

 mens of the remains of early man on which recent 

 discoveries have thrown a flood of light. Notably, 

 as already mentioned, was this the case with regard 

 to the Neanderthal skull. This fragment has been 

 shown to possess characters so closely resembling 

 those of other crania of an early date, that anth- 

 ropologists now speak of a Neanderthal race from 

 the name of the spot where the first and most 

 celebrated example was discovered. This, again, 

 is only one of several races at present believed to 

 have been in existence at a very early period, such 



