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Prehistoric Culture

Prehistoric Culture image
Parent Issue
Day
16
Month
July
Year
1897
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

Did the prehistorie man write on flat pebbles? This question greatly agitates a Frenchman who recently explored a remarkable tuïinel-like cave near the river Arise, in the department of Ariege, says the New York World. These pebbles formed a layer between two other deposits upon the floor of the cave, the layer beneath them coA taining bone harpoons and needies, tes tifying to'the habitation of the caví by the prehistorie reindeer hunters ot southern France, while in the topmost deposit the presence of man was lndicated by the discovery oí polished stone axes and other implements. Thepebbles were apparently taken f rom the bed ol the river Arise and painted with red iron ore by dwellers in the cave where they have now been found. The first impulse is to regard the markinga as meaningless signs, but a classification of them brings the conviction that they indícate a distinct phase of prehistorie culture. Many of the stones are marked with bands o' red, the number of bands ranging from one to eight, but never exceeding the latter number. Many other stones have spots painted on them, and the suggestion is that the figure 9 is represented by one Bpot, two 9's, or 18, by two spots, and so on, the system of notation being based upon 9's. From some devices found on other stones and closely re■sembling letters of the Greek alphabet, M. Ed Piette, the explorer, conclude3 that our prehistorie ancestors had reached quite a degree of culture. At any rate, he is convinced that the signs represent early attempts of man to créate a system of notation and express nis thought3 in writing.

Article

Subjects
Old News
Ann Arbor Democrat