168 G. Slater — Iltiman Skeleton in Glacial Deposits. 



good fortune the cavity of the skull must have been completely 

 filled at an early stage with the surrounding matrix, and thus a complete 

 cast of its interior had been preserved. A fragment of the frontal 

 bone, sufficient to show the characters of the forehead, parts of both 

 temporal bones, with the joints of the mandible and fragments of the 

 parietal and occipital bones, were also present. The face and jaws 

 were gone, but fortunately nine of the teeth were found. 



At the close of the meeting, in answer to a question, the point was 

 again referred to. Dr. Hossack pointed to the fact that many of the 

 bones, not only soft ones, but others, liad disappeared, but Professor 

 Keith replied that this was diie to the position of the sheleton in the clay 

 and sand, the bones preserved being chiefly those from the sand. 



The evidence as to the position of the bones seems to be unmistakable, 

 they were found partly in the Boulder-clay and partly in the sand. 

 It is difficult to understand how this could have occurred naturally 

 under any circumstances. Tlie sand was presumably deposited by 

 running water, the Boulder-clay by moving ice, entirely different 

 conditions obtaining at different times. 



As to the theory that these remains may have been buried, 

 Professor Keith remarked there were various pebbles and splinters 

 of stone found immediately beneath certain parts of the skeleton, 

 as if they might have rolled into the open grave, but in the deepest 

 stratum of the Boulder-clay such stones were abundant and the 

 question of burial mu.st be left open. With regard to the signs of 

 antiquity in the bones, he pointed out that the bones were not 

 mineralized, but, on the contrarj-, were extremely light. The bony 

 matter had exactly the appearance of chalk. 



Much stress has been laid on the fact that those who saw the bones 

 in situ saw no indication of a grave. ^ But we should not expect to see 

 such indications considering the time which has probably elapsed since 

 the death of the person whose skeleton was found. There is much 

 general evidence on this point. Even comparatively recent graves, as 

 seen at the cliffs near Dunwich, are difficult to trace. 



In the Journal of tlie Suffolk Institute of Archaeology, 1907, 

 Miss Layard, F.L.S., in describing an Anglo-Saxon Cemetery, 

 Hadleigh Road, Ipswich, presumably a Pagan cemetery of the 

 sixth century (p. 6), says (p. 1): "On a first visit to the spot in 

 January, 1906, I noticed human bones protruding from the side of the 

 cutting, but as the skeleton had already partly been removed, nothing 

 was found with it. The clean condition of the red crag in which the 

 bones lay was sufficient proof that the burials were of very early date, 

 as there was little trace of organic discolouration in the surrounding 

 earth." The depth of these graves seems to have varied from about 

 2 to 4 feet, and apparently the only indications of graves were to be 

 seen in the presence of bones and ornaments. In the present instance 

 the bones were found about 3 feet below the surface. 



All the evidence points to the probability that the man was buried 

 in a narrow shallow grave, but there is no evidence as to when this 

 took place ; we can only label the skeleton " of doubtful age ". 



^ See Professor T. McKenny Hughes' letter [infra, p. 187). 



