The stone ages in North Britain and Ireland / by the Rev. Frederick Smith ; with an introduction by Augustus H. Keane.

  • Smith, Frederick, Rev.
Date:
1909
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: The stone ages in North Britain and Ireland / by the Rev. Frederick Smith ; with an introduction by Augustus H. Keane. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    any possible prior handling, or disturbance ol‘ the material oi the pits by the workmen. Finger-marks could, I presume, liave been detected by such means; in any case sucli care at least showed the extreme caution with which the inquisitors approached their ultimate decision. It is not perhaps surprising that a dubious mode in the exhibition of these relics should have been adopted in the Woodwardian, since by many leading men of the University they were still regarded with much suspicion and no little real alarm. But there was one, a mere youth, for whom that little case of “ celts ” had a profound fascination. And when one day the Curator raised the glass cover and allowed him the privilege of examining and even handling them, one pur- pose at least was marked out for that lad’s life, and that was the persistent inquiry into the history of the ancient owner of the relics. That inquiry was begun per saltum; for two great ideas dawned on the youth’s mind, and have remained there ever since, fixed, like the directors of a finger-post to point out the way. These were:— (1) An assumption that if that ancient man had no metals he must have made other things tlian these weapons of stone. If he killed an animal, with what did he flay it, and how did he cut it up ? He must have made and tised other forms; that was one inspiring idea. (2) This was also an assumption ; but it was founded upon actual observation, which arose out of the fact that the youth was experienced in the splitting and fracturing of flints; he had devoted boyish but enthusiastic years to the breaking up of flint nodules with the view of procuring sections of embedded ventriculites (fossil forms) allied, as was theii thought, to sponges, but may be classed as something else now for aught I know. -Most beautiful sections of structure were sometimes obtained; red (occasionally) or whitish, or perfectly white, in a grey or black setting. Thus the lad was, in a way, an expert in flint fracture. He knew that there was generally a certain ex]>ression, not always defin- able perhaps, in flint surfaces that were intentionally pro- duced, as against natural fractures. This was the lad’s view—he was much struck by the distinctly artificial and “clever” look of the fractures which had produced these recognised forms. If those ancient men were thus clever, they certainly could and naturall}’ wouhl have made other forms as various necessities suggested. And this was the