426 ETHNICAL FORMS AND UNDESIGNED ARTIFICIAL 



" The principal skeleton, to which the skull described belongs, and 

 by far the most characteristic of the series, was that of a man about 

 35 years of age. It was deposited in the north-west angle of the 

 chamber, with the legs flexed against the north wall. The thigh- 

 bone measured I7f inches, giving a probable stature of 5 ft. 7 in. 

 JS'ear the skull was a curious implement of black flint, — a sort of 

 circular knife with a short projecting handle, the edges elaborately 

 chipped. The skeleton was, perhaps, that of a chief, for whose burial 

 the chamber and tumulus was erected, and in honour of whom cer- 

 tain slaves and dependants were immolated. 



" The valuable cranium we have to describe is not only remarkable 

 for its form and for the character of the tomb whence it was derived, 

 but also for being restored from an extraordinary number of frag- 

 ments. Notwithstanding this disadvantage, the original form has 

 evidently been reproduced. The skull is thick, measuring nearly 

 half an inch in the thickest part of the parietals. It is of medium 

 capacity, and has contained a brain weighing about 50|- oz. Av., or 

 about the average weight of the adult male brain. It is decidedly 

 dolichocephalic, narrow, and very flat at the sides, and realizes more 

 nearly than any we have yet had to figure the kumbecephalic or boat- 

 shaped form described by Dr. D. Wilson. The frontal region is 

 narrow, moderately arched and elevated, but sloping away on each 

 side. The parietal region is long, and marked by a prominent ridge 

 or carina in the line of the sagittal suture, which is far advanced to- 

 wards obliteration, whilst the other sutures are quite as perfect as 

 usual. The occiput is full and prominent : the supra-occipital ridges 

 only moderately marked. There is a deep digastric groove, and a 

 slight paroccipital process on each side. The external auditory 

 openings are somewhat behind the middle of the skull, and very 

 much behind a vertical line drawn from the junction of the coronal 

 and sagittal sutures.* Turning to the face, we notice the decidedly 

 full glabella and overarching brows, continued almost to the external 

 angles of the small retangular orbits : the eyes must have been 

 very deeply set. The narrow nasal bones are separated from the 

 forehead by a deep indent, and are implanted at a very abrupt angle. 

 The malar bones are somewhat flattened, and have a nearly vertical 



" * Dr. Gosse (informations Artiflcielles du Crane, pp. 7, 59) concludes that wTien this 

 vertical line falls either much behind or much in front of the auditory opening, the existence 

 of artificial distortion is proved." 



1 



