100 S. S. Warren — Age of Stone Imjylements. 



The Mineral Condition of Stone Implements. 



Every collector is familiar with the great variety in mineral 

 condition presented by stone implements, according to the accidents 

 of their preservation. Palseolithic implements are quite as often 

 found unabraded, unaltered, or whitened in condition as they are 

 abraded or with an ochreous patina. And, on the other hand. 

 Neolithic implements are not only found unaltered or whitened, but 

 occasionally also ochreous, especially where they were made of 

 flint that previously had an ochreous patina. More than this : as an 

 implement lay flat in a gravel bed, or whatever it might be, the 

 upper surface is often in quite a different condition from the lower. 

 Or, with an implement broken in early times, it is occasionally 

 found that the two or more pieces, though fitting together accurately, 

 are yet each in a different condition. It must be emphatically 

 stated, then, that when implements are merely viewed in the trays 

 of a cabinet, mineral condition is no test of age. It is equally 

 notorious that rudeness of workmanship in individual specimens is 

 no indication of antiquity. Very rude stone implements were made, 

 not only during the Neolithic Period, but even, apparently, after the 

 introduction of metal. From these causes the subject has fallen 

 into discredit with many of our more cautious geologists. It has 

 been too hastily assumed that the same is the case no matter what 

 the circumstances may be under which they were found in the field. 



"With regard to rudeness of workmanship being no indication of 

 antiquity, one might say more. The evolution of implements of 

 certain types not only passes through successive phases of advance- 

 ment, but also to this development there may succeed a degradation 

 of form ; probably, in most cases, through the introduction of some 

 better material to supply the same needs. Professor Flinders Petrie ^ 

 believes this to have been the case with the beautiful flint knives of 

 Egypt. In the prehistoric graves he traces a certain succession 

 (N. 40—55, 1. 30-80), and finds that the curved knives with ripple 

 flaking were developed at N. 40-55, 1. 57, from a similar form made 

 previously by irregular flaking. But these beautiful flat, ripple- 

 flaked, knives only continued in use to N. 40-55, 1. 65, after which 

 time there was a recrudescence to the earlier style, and this con- 

 tinued in use into the early historic times. 



One sees a similar phenomenon, on a larger scale, during the 

 Palgeolithic Period. The development of the flint- working industry 

 may be traced ^ up through the Chelleo- Acheuleen and the Mousterien, 

 until it reaches its highest excellence and skill in the Solutreen. 

 But towards the end of that epoch the bone industry began to 

 assume greater importance, until in the Magdalenien it attained 

 an extraordinary development, while the flint industry fell com- 

 paratively into decay. 



In September, 1900, I described in this Magazine a Palseolithic 

 drift on High Down, in the Isle of Wight, and suggested that the 



1 Journ. Anthrop. Inst., 1899, vol. xxix, pi. xxsiii. 



2 G. de Mortillet: " Le Prehist. Antiq.," etc., 1883, pp. 355-367. 



