PRIMITIVE MAN IN LONDON.

Putaruru Press, Volume IV, Issue 120, 11 February 1926, Page 2

PRIMITIVE MAN IN LONDON.

REMAINS FOUND. At a scientilc meeting of the British Zoological Society, Mr Warren R. Dawson exhibited the fragments of a human skull recently discovered in the course of the excavations on the site of Lloyd s new building in London (says “Lloyd’s Summary"). “In March this year,” says Mr. Dawson, “by the kind permission of the chairman of Lloyd’s (Mr Percy G. Mackinnon), I was enabled to exhibit at the Zoological Society rhinoceros and mammoth bones which had then recently come to light in the course of the excavation. A more recent find 'Comprises some further speci imens of mammalian remains, which include the antlers and some limb bones of the red deer, the skull of an ox, and other specimens. But the most interesting find consists of three fragments of human skuH bones, found in the north-west corner of the site at a depth of 26ft below present street level. The opinion has been expressed that these bones probably dated from the Roman occupation of Britain, but I disagreed with this view the moment I heard it, for the bones, when I examined them seemed to me to have the appearance of mineralisation, which at once suggested a far earlier date, besides the obvious geological indications. The level of Roman London is known to be much nearer* the surface, and, indeed, a fine Roman pavement was found on this identical site many years ago, when digging the foundations of a former building-. The present specimen was obtained from a level of 12 feet lower than the deepest point to which the old foundations penetrated, in perfectly undisturbed river gravel. “On clearing the specimen, I found that the three fragments fitted together, belonging to one individual and form the greater part of the optical region, nearly the whole of the left and part of the right parietal regions of a human skull. Professor G. Elliot Smith, prifessor of anatomy at University College, who is the foremost authority on the human skull and bram, made a cast of the brain, and from an examination of the specimen he confirmed my opinion that the skull is one of very great interest. He demonstrated by means of lantern slides and casts of the brains and skulls of other specimens that the Lloyd’s skull is of a very primitive type. From its physical characters lie pronounced ft to be the skull of a woman of 45 to 50 years of age. The Lloyd’s skull has certain points of affinity with some of the most primitive types of fossil man. the skull is very flat and has a small

cubic capacity; it also displays a certain bulbous projection on the parietal region (side) of the brain which is conspicuous in the Piltdown and Neanderthal skulls, but which is absent from the brain of modern man. 'The structure of the hinder part of the brain also has analogies with those primitive types. The Lloyd’s skull occupies a position intermediate between the Neanderthal type and the most primitive specimens of homo sapiens hitherto examined. This lefthanded, flat-headed, middle-aged lady is by far the oldest Londoner hitherto discovered, and will take an honourable place in the series of our primitive ancestors, of which so many interesting new types have come to light in recent years.” \