EXHIBIT AT THE COTTON STATES EXPOSITION. 625 



The explanation of the' exhibit is contributed by Dr. Thomas Wilson : 



In this exhibit 792 specimens are displayed, as follows: Stone, 410; 

 copper, 110; shell, 20; bronze, 78; gold, 20; bone, 18; pottery, 124. 



Anthropology is the science of man considered in all of his parts and 

 nature. Prehistoric anthropology is that part of this great science 

 which relates to man in prehistoric times. " Prehistoric" means before 

 written history was begun in the locality or country under considera- 

 tion. History began several thousand years earlier in Egypt aud the 

 classic Orient than in Gaul and Britain, and these fifteen hundred years 

 earlier than America. Knowledge of the existence of prehistoric races 

 began with the discovery, about the year 1800, of the ages of Stone, 

 Bronze, and Iron in the Scandinavian countries. It was not recognized 

 in its full scope until the discovery in France, about 1851), of what is 

 called the " Chipped Stone" or " Paleolithic" Age. Since, the antiquity 

 of man has been a subject of lively discussion in most countries, and 

 many attempts have been made to construct the history of his early 

 times. The announcement by Darwin of his theory of " Evolution" as 

 the origin of the human species added interest to the investigation. 

 The study of the life, customs, culture, and, indeed, the making of the 

 history of prehistoric man can only be done through the investigation 

 of objects made and used by him. This investigation considers their 

 condition, the mode of their manufacture, their associations, and the 

 places wherein they have been buried, with the incomplete information 

 we get from the skeletons. In its relation to the North American Indian 

 we are dependent upon the objects wefindin his workshops, his destroyed 

 homes, or in his graves and monuments. We study his mounds and 

 earthworks, cemeteries, village sites, quarries, and workshops. We find 

 his axes, hatchets, adzes, and gouges, and from these w r e speculate how 

 he felled trees, cut wood, and made boats, sledges, aud the hundred 

 objects of wood employed by savages. His stone quarries and work- 

 shops show the raw material, and how he manufactured his implements 

 by the processes of chipping, grinding, j)olishing, and drilling. The 

 same for horn, shell, and bone, of which we possess many thousand 

 objects made into beads, pins, gorgets, and other ornaments. The cop- 

 per and gold objects are to be studied on the same lines. Pottery was 

 much used by prehistoric man, and its manufacture was carried on 

 wherever he dwelt. The pottery exhibit is displayed on the shelves 

 above the flat-topped cases. To the right are specimens of European 

 prehistoric pottery of the Neolithic and Bronze ages. This is followed 

 by ware from the aborigines of the United States. The long shelves 

 in front contain specimens from Mexico, Central and South America. 

 On a pedestal is a reproduction of an "Ogham stone," illustrating a 

 rude written language Avhich was prevalent in Ireland at a very early 

 day. 



THE ORIGIN AND SIGNIFICANCE OF GAMES. 



In the next alcove (K), which occupied the circular tower in the south- 

 east corner of the building, is displayed a special collection illustrating 

 "The origin and significance of games in all parts of the world," 

 especial prominence being given to chess and cards. The display was 

 made in cooperation with the University of Pennsylvania, and has been 

 arranged by Mr. Stewart Culin, director of the University Museum. 



The objects, arranged in a progressive series, fill 34 upright cases, 

 like pictures in frames, and one large table case. They form an almost 

 sm 90 40 



