Abstract
AT the close of last year Messrs. E. T. Nicolle and J. Sinel reported (Man, December, 1910, p. 185) some of the results of an exploration of a Palæolithic cave-dwelling situated in the cliffs of St. Brelade's Bay, on the south coast of Jersey. Amongst the mammalian bones found on the floor of the cave, Dr. A. Smith Woodward and Dr. C. Andrews recognised remains of the woolly rhinoceros, the reindeer, and two varieties of horse. Abundant evidence of former hearths and numerous flint implements were found with the bones. Nine human teeth were also found, and it is to the nature of these I wish now to direct attention. The exploration of the cave was continued by Mr. R. R. Marett, reader in social anthropology, Oxford University, who is now preparing for publication a full account of the various “finds” made in the Jersey caves. By his courtesy I was given an opportunity of examining the human teeth, which are to be fully described by Mr. Francis H. J. Knowles. Three of the teeth, all of which are fossilised, but in an excellent state of preservation, belong to the upper jaw—a second left premolar, a first right and a second left molar; the six teeth from the lower jaw are a canine, first and second premolar and second molar of the left side, a second incisor and second molar of the right side. It is thus possible to reconstruct the dentition of this individual—for clearly all are from the same set—with a fair degree of accuracy. The recognition of each member of the series was made easy by their close resemblance to the teeth of the Heidelberg mandible, usually regarded as the oldest example of Pleistocene man yet discovered in Europe. The teeth of the Gibraltar cranium, which is probably a very primitive and early example of the Neanderthal type, were also of assistance. In many features the teeth of the Krapina men are recalled. There can be no doubt that the St. Brelade individual to whom these teeth belonged must be ranked as one of the most, if not the most, primitive of the examples of the Neanderthal type yet discovered.
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KEITH, A. Discovery of the Teeth of Palæolithic Man in Jersey . Nature 86, 414 (1911). https://doi.org/10.1038/086414a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/086414a0
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