160 SECTIONAL ADDRESSES. 



expressed themselves more or less decidedly in favour of this view, which 

 certainly coincides with my own impressions. Assuming this impression 

 to be correct, it is evident that, since these gravel-drifts, with some of 

 their associated artefacts, were deposited upon the ancient river-bed, the 

 river has eroded out a channel to a depth of from 400 to 600 feet through 

 solid basalt. The great depth of this wonderful gorge affords data for 

 estimating the time required for this gigantic work of attrition, while the 

 extent of the canyon above the gravel-drifts supplies further measurable 

 time-data. 



I Now, such important evidence of Man's antiquity in South Africa 

 deserves very careful scrutiny. It is worth while establishing once for all 

 and conclusively whether the gravels referred to were laid down by the 

 Zambesi itself, and not by lateral spruits. In spite of the prevailing 

 geological opinion, one must recollect that Dr. Codrington, and possibly 

 some others, did not accept this view, and, while any possible doubt 

 remains, further investigation is called for by highly competent geologists, 

 who can make an authoritative pronouncement. The problem is one well 

 worth solving and I would express the hope that its solution may be an 

 objective of geologists, who alone can decide the point at issue, and who 

 will, by so doing, earn the gratitude of their colleagues the archaeologists, 

 since this problem is the key to several others. 



The detailed geological diagnosis of the implementiferous terrace- 

 gravels throughout the South African region would be of great benefit to 

 archaeologists, who are endeavouring to group the early stone implement 

 types into a time-scale sequence. Some good work has already been 

 done, but further research is needed before the succession and inter- 

 relationships of the earliest cultures can with confidence be demonstrated. 



One of the most interesting questions for local archaeologists to answer, 

 is the true culture-horizon to which the industry of the so-called ' Still 

 Bay ' culture should be assigned. It is characterised chiefly by the fine 

 and shapely leaf-shaped blades, many of which are flaked all over with 

 considerable skill. These form a decidedly specialised group. The 

 industry appears to be somewhat local and not to be widely dispersed. It 

 was one of the earliest distinctive industries to be noticed, and came into 

 prominence as early as 1866, when Dr. Langham Dale collected many 

 examples upon the Cape Flats. One wonders, in fact, why Still Bay should 

 be regarded as the ' type site ' of this culture, since, by the rules of priority 

 in nomenclature, the designation ' Cape Flats ' industry would appear to 

 be more appropriate, in recognition of Dr. Dale's pioneering discovery. 

 But this is by the way. By some, the dominant implements of this 

 industry have been taken, on insufficient evidence it seems to me, to 

 indicate a Solutrean phase in South Africa. J. P. Johnson described 

 the leaf -shaped blades as ' Solutric,' and L. Peringuey refers to them as 

 exhibiting a ' Solutrian /acies,' though there is a non-committal touch in 

 his expressed opinion, since the chapter which deals with this industry 

 is headed ' The Neolithic ' ! It appears to me that the technique of the 

 leaf-shaped Still Bay blades differs considerably from that of the typical 

 Solutrean blades of Western Europe, and hardly justifies any confident 

 suggestion of affinity. It will be extremely interesting when the exact 

 status of the ' Still Bay ' or ' Cape Flats ' culture is established, and when 



