An introduction to the study of prehistoric art . istinguished by French anthropologists as Acheulian, from a site at St. Acheul,near Amiens, where theyoccur in abundance. The flakes thrown offin the course of makingthese early implementswould often be of such asize, and have such sharpedges, that their utilityfor cutting purposes musthave been immediatelyevident. In this waya tool comparable to aknife must have beenone of the first knownto man. From the point ofview of Art the greatestinterest must attach to these primitive worked flints, for intheir presence we are brought face to face with
An introduction to the study of prehistoric art . istinguished by French anthropologists as Acheulian, from a site at St. Acheul,near Amiens, where theyoccur in abundance. The flakes thrown offin the course of makingthese early implementswould often be of such asize, and have such sharpedges, that their utilityfor cutting purposes musthave been immediatelyevident. In this waya tool comparable to aknife must have beenone of the first knownto man. From the point ofview of Art the greatestinterest must attach to these primitive worked flints, for intheir presence we are brought face to face with mansearliest efforts at form for a definite purpose. Simpleindeed do they appear. Yet much more difficult to skilfullyaccomplish than might be supposed, as anyone will findwho endeavours to copy them. As mans first artisticefforts they can but impress us with a deep interest, andsomething approaching awe. As was eloquently said bythe enthusiastic and untiring antiquary to whom we owe thefirst recognition of these simple instruments as the handi-. Fig. 2.—Flint implement with curved Pit, Bury St. Edmunds. (Half size.) THE PALyEOLlTHIC OR OLDSTONE AGE 9 work of man—- Let us not despise them, these the firstattempts of our forefathers, however imperfect they mayappear when compared with the work of modern they had not made them, continues Boucher de Per-thes, or if they had not persevered in their efforts, weshould have neither our towns nor our palaces, nor theworks of art which we admire therein. He who struck thefirst pebble against another to give it regular form, gavethe first blow of the chisel which made the Minerva andthe figures of the Parthenon. ^ Boucher de Perthes believed that he had found in theriver gravels stone objects of a more strictly artistic char-acter. These which have been termed Ficrure stonesconsist of slightly worked pieces of stone which naturallysimulate some animal form as, for example, a birds natural form of the
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