A STUDY OF PKEHISTOKIC ANTHROPOLOGY. 



621 



Mousieur Gabriel de Mortillet in Le Prehistorique, page 479, dis- 

 cusses this hiatus between the paleolithic and the neolithic periods. 

 He considers that the former belonged to the quaternary geologic 

 period, while the latter belongs to the present, or period actual. He 

 says that "Between these two epochs (that is, between the Madalen- 

 ian epoch and the neolithic period) " there are differences everywhere; 

 there exists a veritable revolution." And he puts in the form of a 

 table, side by side, the differences. 



(1) In the neolithic period the climate 



was temperate and uniform. 



(2) The mammoth extinct. 



(3) Chamois, marmot, and wild goat have 



gone to the summits of the mount- 

 ains. 



(4) These animals have emigrated to- 



ward the Arctic region. 

 ^5) No hyenas or grand cats. 



(6) Domestic animals abundant. 



(7) Human type much varied. 



(8) Population sedentary. 



(9) Agriculture well developed. 



(10) Stone implements polished. 



(11) Pottery. 



(12) Monuments: Dolmens and menhirs; 



burial of the dead. 



(14) Religious ideas well developed. 



(15) No artistic sentiment. 



(1) In the Madalenian the climate was 



cold and dry, with extreme tem- 

 peratures. 



(2) Existence of the last grand fossil spe- 



cies — the mammoth. 



(3) Chamois, marmot, the wild goat in 



the plains of France. 



(4) Reindeer, saiga (antelope), elk, glut- 



ton, white bear, in the center of 

 Europe. 



(5) Hyena and the grand cat tribe. 



(6) No domestic animals. 



(7) Human type uniform. 



(8) Population nomadic. 



(9) Hunters and fishers, but no agricult- 



ure. 



(10) Stone implements always chipped. 



(11) No pottery. 



(12) No monuments. 



(13) No burials; no respect for the dead. 



(14) No religious ideas. 



(15) A profound and pure artistic senti- 



ment. 



This revolution is at once physical and industrial, natural and social. 

 In the physical or natural there have been great changes in the climate, 

 which proves changes of equal importance in the orography and geog- 

 raphy, which in its turn was followed by profound geologic modifica- 

 tion. This could be done but very slowly, and, therefore, there must 

 have existed a long period of time between the two epochs. This can 

 be assured by certain proofs. In the Grotte de Placard one can see 

 between the uppermost stratum, containing implements of the Madal- 

 enian epoch, and that which contains implements of the neolithic period 

 there is to be found a depot or stratum of fallen rubbish, principally 

 small stone from the roof of the cav^ern, which is completely sterile, so 

 far as concerns archaeology, and is 70''™ in thickness. The Cavern of 

 Laugerie Haute gives the same evidence and is even more conclusive. 

 Between the strata of the two periods there exists a sterile stratum of 

 1.30™. In the Grotte de la Vache there exists a thick stratum of sta- 

 lagmite, sometimes 45''™, between the Madalenian epoch and the neo- 

 lithic period and the same difference exists between the industrial and 



