PREHISTORIC RELIC

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 281, 22 July 1932, Page 3

PREHISTORIC RELIC

DREDGING OF THAMES YIELDS MANY ANCIENT TREASURES. SIGNS OF GREAT BATTLE. Historic and prehistoric treasures retrieved from the bed of the River Thames during dredging and other J work were examined recently by Lord Desborough, the chairman, and other members of the Conservancy Board at the offices in the Strand. People were living on the banks of the Thames at Sonning 4000 years ago. That is the period to which Sir Arthur Keith ' assigns the skull of a woman which was dredged up there by one of the Thames Conservancy vessels. Sir Arthur has reported that the skull is that of a woman of the ancient British race, the earliest inhabitants of these islands. Relics of a great fight that took place about 10,000 years ago between an aurochs and a huge red deer have been found. With horns interlocked they fell into the water, and when their bones were recovered a short time ago their horns were still fast locked. Among weapons found there is a bone spear-head which experts at the British Museum say was made about 2000 B.C. There are Bronze Age swords and daggers, spear-heads of Viking days, and a spear of a Norman knight. A very interesting find was that of a hoard of Roman coins covering the reigns of 15 Roman Emperors.