Page:Palæolithic Man and Terramara Settlements in Europe.djvu/207

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FOSSIL MAN (FRANCE)
151

of the antero-posterior diameter and other deviations from the Cro-Magnon type. For comparison I have placed beside the outline of the Placard skull that of one of the Cro-Magnon race found by M. Julien in the cave of Barma Grande, near Mentone (Fig. 44). On the other hand, G. de Mortillet held that the skull of Placard was that of a Neolithic interment :— "II était dans un milieu Magdalénien, mais seulement à 70 centimètres au-dessous de l'assise robenhausienne, dans une vallée ou les sépultures néolithiques dans les grottes sont assez fréquentes" (Le Préhistorique, 3rd edition, p. 315).

Skeleton of Hoteaux.

The rock-shelter of Hoteaux, near Rossillon (Ain), consists of a terrace, open to the south, but protected by an overhanging cliff and the projection of rocks on each side. The shelter measured 15 metres in length and from 8 to 10 metres in breadth. A small dark grotto opened on the terrace. The station was discovered and excavated by MM. A. Tournier and Charles Guillon, in 1894, and the results were published in the following year, under the title of Les Hommes Préhistoriqiies dans l'Ain, 1895.

The total depth of the deposits was 2.35 metres, divided into six archæological strata of a blackish colour, and intercalated by a similar number of yellow fluviatile and detrital beds which were destitute of industrial remains. Judging from the character of the relics the former were assigned to the Magdalénien epoch. The most characteristic object found in the débris was a bâton de commandement adorned with the engraved figure of a reindeer. The remains of this animal were abundant, but in the upper layers they were being replaced by those of the red-deer. A human skeleton was uncovered in the sixth archæological stratum at a depth of from 1.90 to 2 metres, and it was particularly noted that the superincumbent layers were unbroken. The body lay on the back across the terrace with the feet pointing outwards, and it was covered by red ochre. The two femurs were displaced from their anatomical position a fact which suggested that the flesh had been removed before interment. The antero-posterior diameter of the skull was 181 millimetres,