486 



Sir John Evans. 



" Palaeolithic Man in Africa." By Sir John Evans, K.C.B., F.R.S. 

 Eeceived May 15 — Eead May 31, 1900. 



In April, 1896, just four years ago, I ventured to call the attention 

 of the Society* to some palaeolithic implements found in Somaliland 

 by Mr. H. W. Seton-Karr. In doing so, I pointed out the absolute 

 identity in form of these implements with those from the valley of the 

 Somme and numerous other pleistocene deposits in North-western 

 Europe and elsewhere ; and I cited others from the high land adjoining 

 the valley of the Nile and from other places in Northern and Southern 

 Africa. I was at the same time careful to point out that though there 

 could be no doubt as to this identity in form, no fossil mammalian or 

 other remains had been found with these African implements, I did 

 not, however, hesitate in claiming them as palaeolithic. 



Since the j)ublication of my short note, an extensive collection of 

 stone implements formed in Egypt by Mr. H. W. Seton-Karr has been 

 acquired by the Mayer Museum at Liverpool. I have not had an 

 opportunity of examining the specimens, but a detailed account! of 

 them, with numerous illustrations, has been published by the Director 

 of the Liverpool Museums, Dr. H. 0. Forbes. The majority of the 

 implements are of Neolithic Age or even of more recent date, and with 

 the account of these I need not here concern myself ; but the author is 

 at considerable pains to dispute my view that the instruments of palaeo- 

 lithic forms belong to the Palaeolithic Period. As he says, Mr. Seton- 

 Karr's statement that he sometimes found spear-heads " on the ground 

 surrounded by a mass of flakes and chips as though the people had 

 dropped their work and fled," is very suggestive and important. He 

 adds, however, that " one such occurrence is almost sufficient in itself, 

 I venture to think, to disprove the high antiquity claimed by Sir 

 John Evans for these implements." 



Were it certain that the so-called spear-heads were really of palaeo- 

 lithic form, and had the flakes and chips been fitted on to them so as to 

 reconstitute the original blocks of flint, as has been done in the case of 

 undoubted palaeolithic specimens by Mr. Spurrell and Mr. Worthing- 

 ton Smith, the question would still remain to be discussed as to the 

 condition of the localities in relation to subaerial denudation. 



It is, however, hardly necessary to discuss these points, as some 

 recent discoveries made in Algeria will, I venture to think, go a long 

 way towards settling the question. I propose, therefore, very briefly 

 to state their nature. About sixty miles to the south-west of the town 



* ' Roy. Soc. Proc.,' vol. 60, p. 19. 



+ *Bull. Liyerp. Mus.,' II, JS^os. 3 and 4 (Jan. 20, 1900) ; ' Nature,' April 19, 

 1900, p. 597. 



