at the side as far as the hip, the right arm raised and flexed, the head turned to the left shoulder and the jaws widely apart. Two large stones were on each side of the body and two or three others at the head. It does not appear that there had been a ritual burial, but it is to be noted that the bones were in their anatomical position, except the right foot and hand, which were missing. [1] The savants were unanimous in rejecting the idea of accidental death, as the attitude of the body was that of quiet repose, and there was no fall of rocks at the time. The cave being much frequented the body must have been in some way protected, otherwise it would have been eaten up by hyænas. It might have been lightly covered with soil or vegetable matter, but it was not buried in a grave like that at Chapelle-aux-Saints. The subsequent fall of rocks and gradual accumulation of a thick talus preserved the skeleton to the present day.
The anatomical characters of this skeleton agree with those of the Neanderthal-Spy race dolichocephalic skull, retreating forehead, prominent superciliary ridges, great development of the upper jaw, chin almost sloping backwards, large ascending ramus of lower jaw, lower limbs short, bent and stout leaving no doubt as to the race to which the Ferrassie man belonged.[2]
In the month of September 1910 another skeleton was discovered at Ferrassie, about 0.50 metre from the former, and in the same archæological stratum. An account of the circumstances, with a description of the remains, which point to an act of interment, is given by MM. Capitan and Peyrony (Acad. des Inscriptions, March 1911 ; and Rev. Anthropologique. April 1911). The skeleton, like the previous one, lay at the base of Moustérien debris, under undisturbed stratified deposits of Aurignacien supérieur, moyen and inférieur. It lay on the right side on an inhabited area, with the legs and arms flexed, and appeared to have been covered over with earth and other debris. The skull was crushed and only fragments of it
- ↑
M. Breuil states that some of the phalanges of the right hand had been found lying over the breast of the bkeleton, as if they had been replaced after being removed by some accidental cause (Les plus anciennes Races Humaincs connues, P-37).
- ↑
See communications by Capitan and 'Peyrony, with illustrations, in Rev. de l'École d'Anth.) 1909, p. 402 ; Acad. des Inscriptions, 19th Nov. 1909.
