Prehistoric Discoveries at Bournemouth.

Kaipara and Waitemata Echo, 17 April 1914, Page 2

Prehistoric Discoveries at Bournemouth.

Two interesting discoveries relating to the early period of Bournemouth have just been completed. Near the neolithic pits which were unearthed at Southbourne in 1901) a number of stone tools and flint cores were found. Some of them were sent to the British Museum, and it was sugges'<>d that further search might lead to important results, which has proved to be exactly the case. In the space pf about the size of an ordinary din-ing-room was found a complete [irehistoric workshop, which, when in full working order, was suddenly abandoned and covered by growing vegetution, and had never been disturbed until recently. Within the area was a complete outfit from rough flints to finished arrow-points, and pygmy flints, spear-points, boring tools, picks, scoops, axes, scrapers, knives, and curious tools, which are as sharp as on the day they :\vere made. So ma of the tools weigh more than a pound, others less than a pennyweight ; others are so fine anl small | that 134 of them weigh an ounce. i Many of the tools are of curious chape, and some of the knives could be used to-day for razors. Mixed with the tools were great quantities of waste chips and flakes. The total number of tools and flakes of all kinds is more than 7,000, and fill ten buckets. All the best flints have been carefully numbered and catalogued by Mrs. David Chambers, who made the discoveries, with the assistance of two leading scientists. The second find near the prehistoric workshop was an egg-shaped altar-stone, seven ivory beads, and a stone incense-cup, belonging to the Druid period. They maV be as 'old as the Druid temple at Stonehenge, which was built about 17f>0 B.C. There is a cup-shaped depression at one end of the altar-stone holding one-third of a pint. There is also a 2in. hole right through the stone, which is of the same geological formation as the outer circles of stones at Stonehengc, from which place it may have been carried. The stone incense-cup is beautifully shaped, and holds about as much as an eggcup. It is made of hard sandstone, and it was probably used for anointing kings and queens, for the Druids were not onry priests, but king makers. The use of the seven ivory beads is unknown. '