In the later stages of the Pleistocene a race of men lived in
Europe of whom we have a number of skulls and skeletons, besides
vast numbers of stone implements. It is usually known as the
Neanderthal race, as the first skeleton was found, in 1856, at
Neanderthal, near Dusseldorf. Further skeletons were found at
Spy, in Belgium, and Krapina, in Croatia. A skull formerly found
at Gibraltar is now assigned to the same race. In the last five
years a jaw of the same (or an earlier) age has been found at
Mauer, near Heidelberg, and several skeletons have been found in
France (La Vezere and Chapelle-aux-Saints). From these, and a few
earlier fragments, we have a confident knowledge of the features
of this early human race.
The highest appreciation of the Neanderthal man--a somewhat
flattering appreciation, as we shall see--is that he had reached
the level of the Australian black of to-day. The massive frontal
ridges over his eyes, the very low, retreating forehead, the
throwing of the mass of the brain toward the back of the head,
the outthrust of the teeth and jaws, and the complete absence (in
some cases) or very slight development of the chin, combine to
give the head what the leading authorities call a "bestial" or
"simian" aspect.
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