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  PRIMEVAL 
  MAN. 
  

  

  so 
  common 
  in 
  Africa, 
  and 
  of 
  a 
  kind 
  so 
  easily 
  

   reducible 
  by 
  heat, 
  that 
  its 
  use 
  might 
  well 
  be 
  

   discovered 
  by 
  the 
  rudest 
  tribes. 
  As 
  a 
  matter 
  

   of 
  fact, 
  they 
  are 
  now 
  all 
  excellent 
  workers 
  

   in 
  iron. 
  Then 
  again, 
  it 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  remembered 
  

   that 
  there 
  are 
  some 
  countries 
  in 
  the 
  world 
  

   where 
  stone 
  is 
  as 
  rare 
  and 
  difficult 
  to 
  get 
  as 
  

   metals. 
  In 
  them 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  stone 
  imple- 
  

   ments 
  may 
  imply 
  even 
  an 
  extended 
  com- 
  

   merce. 
  The 
  great 
  alluvial 
  plains 
  of 
  Meso- 
  

   potamia 
  are 
  a 
  case 
  in 
  point. 
  Accordingly, 
  

   we 
  know 
  from 
  the 
  remains 
  of 
  the 
  First 
  

   Chaldsean 
  Monarchy 
  that 
  a 
  very 
  high 
  civili- 
  

   zation 
  in 
  the 
  arts 
  of 
  agriculture 
  and 
  of 
  

   commerce 
  co-existed 
  with 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  stone 
  

   implements 
  of 
  a 
  very 
  rude 
  characteh* 
  This 
  

  

  * 
  Rawlinson's 
  "Five 
  Great 
  Monarchies," 
  vol. 
  i. 
  pp. 
  119, 
  120. 
  

  

  