SECTIONAL TRANSACTIONS.— H. 475 



rise of ethical, humanist, scientific and philosophical interests in the middle 

 centuries of the first millennium B.C., and the question of the changes now 

 taking place over a much wider area. 



Miss E. W. Gardner. — Pleistocene terraces and palceoliths in south Arabia 

 (11.30). 



Miss G. Caton-Thompson. — Archceological work in the Hadhramaut, 

 south Arabia, 1937-8 (12.0). 

 The archaeological objects of the recent expedition were : 

 (i) To bridge the gap in palaeolithic distribution maps between East 

 Africa and Asia — in particular to test a possible channel of diffusion of 

 blade and burin industries into East Africa. The results may be 

 summarised : {a) The bifacial complex of the lower palaeolithic appears 

 to be absent in south-west Arabia. Combining present results with 

 those of Dr. Huzayyin, one hand-axe only has been found in Yemen, 

 none in Hadhramaut. (6) The dominance of a crude flake industry of 

 Levallois type widely distributed from the sea-board to the Rub-el- 

 Khali. Miss Gardner shows its occurrence in her 10, 5 and 3 m. 

 gravel terraces, as well as in seolian silt. The continuation of this 

 culture during a long geological period is postulated, (c) That blade 

 and burin industries did not reach South Arabia in Quaternary times, 

 which retained the flake tradition throughout, (d) That no evidence of 

 Stone Age contacts between South Arabia and East Africa was found. 

 In late historic times, however, a small obsidian industry, probably of 

 local Arabian material, was introduced, presumably from East Africa. 



(2) To test the possible occurrence in South Arabia of chalcolithic painted 

 pottery, etc., indicating contacts with the Makrau coast, Mesopotamia 

 and India in the third or fourth millennia. No evidence was found in 

 the area visited for such contacts. 



(3) To investigate the material culture of pre- Islamic periods of whatever 

 date, and by its help to introduce some dating, absolute or relative, 

 into the history. 



The work took place in the Wadi 'Amd, near Hureidha. A temple, 

 domestic dwellings, and tombs were excavated. 



Dating. — The earliest possible date is given by import seals, which may 

 be sixth to fourth century B.C. in their probably Achsmenid homeland. On 

 the other hand some beads are current in Egypto-Roman times, and a 

 glass bottle looks equally late. As the temple was reconstructed twice, 

 and the ossuary, from which datable objects were got, probably represents 

 a considerable length of time — 200 years at least is suggested — an inclusive 

 date of about 300 to 100 b.c. or later may be a fair estimate, subject, however, 

 to possible further evidence from inscriptions. It is suggested that the 

 temple architecture was influenced more by Persia than by the classical 

 world. 



Miss W. Lamb. — Prehistoric Anatolia : excavations at Ktisura, near 

 Afyon (12.30). 

 Kusura, situated in the debatable country between the western cultural 

 zone of Anatolia (known to us from Troy, Yortan, etc.), and the central 

 provinces (represented by Alishar and Bogazkoy), provides important 

 evidence concerning the extent of the Hittite domination to the west and 

 the contacts of the more primitive peoples during the early age of metal. 



