Page:Palæolithic Man and Terramara Settlements in Europe.djvu/223

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FOSSIL MAN (ITALY AND OTHER COUNTRIES)
163

Other Investigations.

In 1884 M. L. Julien, foreman of the men employed in quarrying the cliff, made excavations in the Barma Grande (fifth cave), and discovered a skeleton at a depth of 8.40 metres. It lay on its back, with the head to the south, between a fallen rock and the left wall of the cave. Three large flint flakes were associated with this interment, one near the head and the other two between the shoulders. Above it was a layer of ashes containing the teeth of ruminants. A thick layer of "terre rouge" covered the head "comme une espece de bonnet." The skull (Fig. 44) was broken into a number of pieces, which on being put together disclosed the characters of the Cro-Magnon race viz., a dolichocephalic head and a lofty forehead over somewhat prominent superciliary ridges. (L'Homme, 1884, p. 187.)

In 1892 M. Abbo, the proprietor of the cave, began to remove some of the débris for his garden, and in the course of these operations one of his sons came upon a human skull, and near it the rest of the skeleton. Two other skeletons were discovered later on, and the three, which lay parallel to each other, were left almost in situ till M. Verneau came on the scene a fortnight later (22nd February) and took charge of extracting the bones from their matrix. M. Verneau observed that the bodies had been placed in a specially prepared trench which had been overspread with a layer of ochre. The skeletons, two males and a female, lay close together across the floor of the cave, with the feet to the west. One, that of an old tall man, was outermost and lay nearly on the back, with the left hand stretched on the thigh, near which lay a magnificent flint knife 9 inches in length. About the head were various kinds of ornaments of teeth and bone, fish vertebrae, and perforated shells of Nassa neritea ; and on each thigh bone above the knee was a perforated Cypræa. Next to this body was that of the female, lying on the left side, and having the right hand almost touching the shoulder of the former. Another long flint knife is said to have been found near the woman's hand, but otherwise there were fewer ornaments associated with this skeleton. The third body,