Itwasin1826thatBoucherdePerthesfirstpublishedhisopinion；
butitwasnotuntil1816and1847thatheannouncedhisdiscoveryatMenchecourt，nearAbbeville，andatMoulin-QuignonandSaintAcheul，inthealluvialdepositsoftheSomme，offlintsshapedintotheformofhatchetsassociatedwiththeremainsofextinctanimalssuchasthemammoth，thecavelion，theRHINOCEROSINCISIVUS，thehippopotamus，andotheranimalswhosepresenceinFranceisnotalludedtoeitherinhistoryortradition。Theuniformityofshape，themarksofrepeatedchipping，andthesharpedgessonoticeableinthegreaternumberofthesehatchets，cannotbesufficientlyaccountedforeitherbytheactionofwater，ortherubbingagainsteachotherofthestones，stilllessplythemechanicalworkofglaciers。Wemustthereforerecognizeinthemtheresultsofsomedeliberateactionandofanintelligentwill，suchasispossessedbyman，andbymanalone。ProfessorRamsay[13]tellsusthat，aftertwentyyears’
experienceinexaminingstonesintheirnaturalconditionandothersfashionedbythehandofman，hehasnohesitationinpronouncingtheflintsandhatchetsofAmiensandAbbevilleasdecidedlyworksofartastheknivesofSheffield。Thedepositsinwhichtheywerefoundshowednosinsofhavingbeendisturbed；sothatwemayconfidentlyconcludethatthemenwhoworkedtheseflintslivedwherethebanksoftheSommenoware，whenthesedepositswereincourseofbeinglaiddown，andthathewasthecontemporaryoftheanimalswhoseboneslaysidebysidewiththeproductsofhisindustry。
Thisconclusion，whichnowappearssosimple，wasnotacceptedwithoutdifficulty。BoucherdePerthesdefendedhisdiscoveriesinbooks，inpamphlets，andinlettersaddressedtolearnedsocieties。Hehadthecourageofhisconvictions，andtheperseverancewhichinsuressuccess。Fortwentyyearshecontendedpatientlyagainsttheindifferenceofsome，andthecontemptofothers。Everywheretheproofshebroughtforwardwererejected，withouthisbeingallowedthehonorofadiscussionorevenofahearing。TheearliestconvertstoDePerthes’conclusionsmetwithsimilarattacksandwithsimilarindifference。Thereisnothingtosurpriseusinthis；itishumannaturenottotakereadilytoanythingnew，ortoentertainideasopposedtooldestablishedtraditions。Themostdistinguishedmenfinditdifficulttobreakwiththeprejudicesoftheireducationandtheyetmorefirmlyestablishedprejudicesofthesystemstheyhavethemselvesbuiltup。ThewordsofthegreatFrenchfabulistwillneverceasetobetrue：
Manisicetotruth；
Butfiretolies。
Oneofthemastersofmodernscience，Cuvier，hassaid[14]：“Everythingtendstoprovethatthehumanracedidnotexistinthecountrieswherethefossilboneswerefoundatthetimeoftheconvulsionswhichburiedthosebones；butIwillnotthereforeconcludethatmandidnotexistatallbeforethatepoch；hemayhaveinheritedcertaindistrictsofsmallextentwhencehere-peopledtheearthaftertheseterribleevents。“Cuvier’sdiscipleswentbeyondthedoctrinesoftheirmaster。Hemadecertainreservations；theyadmittednone，andoneofthemostillustrious，EliedeBeaumont，rejectedwithscornthepossibilityoftheco-existenceofmanandthemammoth。[15]Later，retractinganassertionofwhichperhapshehimselfrecognizedtheexaggeration，hecontentedhimselfwithsayingthatthedistrictwheretheflintsandboneshadbeencollectedbelongedtoarecentperiod，andtotheshiftingdepositsoftheslopescontemporarywiththepeatyalluvium。Headded——scientificpassionsarebynomeanstheleastintense，ortheleastdeeplyrooted——thattheworkedflintsmayhavebeenofRomanorigin，andthatthedepositsofMoulin-QuignonmayhavecoveredaRomanroad!ThismightindeedhavebeenthecaseintheDEPARTEMENTDUNORD，wherearoadlaiddownbytheconquerorsofGaulhascompletelydisappearedbeneathdepositsofpeat，butitcouldnotbetrueatMoulin-Quignon，wheregravelsformtheculminatingpointoftheridge。Moreover，thelayingdownofthemostancientpeatsoftheFrenchvalleysdidnotbeginuntilthegreatwatercourseshadbeenreplacedbytheriversofthepresentday；theynevercontain，relicsofanyspeciesbutsuchasarestillextant；whereasitwaswiththeremainsofextinctmammalsthattheflintswerefound。
ItwasagainstpowerfuladversariessuchasthisthatthemodestsavantofAbbevillehadtomaintainhisopinion。“Noone，“hesays，“caredtoverifythefactsofthecase，merelygivingasareason，thatthesefactswereimpossible。“WeightwasaddedtohiscomplaintbytherefusalinEnglandaboutthesamebluetoprintacommunicationfromtheSocietyofNaturalHistoryofTorquay，whichannouncedthediscoveryofflintsworkedbythehandofman，associated，aswerethoseoftheSomme，withthebonesofextinctanimals。Thefactappearedaltogethertooincredible!
Butthetimewhenjusticewouldbedonewastocomeatlast。Dr。FalconervisitedfirstAmiensandthenAbbeville，toexaminethedepositsandtheflintsandbonesfoundinthem。InJanuary，1859，andin1860，otherEnglishmenofsciencefollowedhisexample；andexcavationsweremade，undertheirdirection，inthemassivestratawhichrise，fromthechalkformingtheirbase，toaheightof108feetabovetheleveloftheSomme。Theirsearchwascrownedwithsuccess，andtheylostnoblueinleakingknowntotheworldtheresultstheyhadobtained，andtheconvictionstowhichtheseresultsleadled。[16]In1859PrestwichannouncedtotheRoyalSocietyofLondonthattheflintsfoundinthebedoftheSommewereundoubtedlytheworkofthehandofplan，thattheyhadbeenfoundinstratathatleadnotbeendisturbed，andthatthemenwhocuttheseflintsbadlivedataperiodpriortothetimewhenourearthassumeditspresentconfiguration。SirCharlesLyell，inhisopeningaddressatasessionoftheBritishAssociation，didnothesitatetosupporttheconclusionsofPrestwich。ItwasnowtheturnofFrenchmenofsciencetoarriveatAbbeville。MM。GaudryandPouchetthemselvesextractedhatchetsfromtheQuaternarydepositsoftheSomme。[17]Thesefactswerevouchedforbythewell-knownauthority，M。deQuatrefages，whohadalreadyconstitutedhimselftheiradvocate。Allthatwasnowneededwasthetestofapublicdiscussion，andthemeetingoftheAnthropologicalSocietyofParissuppliedasuitableoccasion。Thequestionreceivedlongandsearchingscientificexamination。Alldoubtwasremoved，andM。IsidoreGeoffroy-Saint-Hilairewasthemouth-pieceofanimmensemajorityofhiscolleagues，whenhedeclaredthattheobjectionstothegreatantiquityofthehumanracehadallmeltedaway。Theconversionofmensoillustriouswasfollowedofcoursebythatofthegeneralpublic，and，morefortunatethanmanyanother，BoucherdePerthesbadthesatisfactionbeforehisdeathofseeinganewbranchofknowledgefoundedonhisdiscoveries，attaintoajustanddurablepopularityinthescientificworld。
Itmustnot，however，besupposedthatpopularsuperstitionyieldedatoncetothedecisionsofscience，anditiscurioustomeetwiththesameideasinthemostdifferentclimates，andindistrictswidelyseparatedfromeachother：[18]Everywhereworkedflintsareattributedtoasupernaturalorigin；everywheretheyarelookeduponasamuletswiththepowerofprotectingtheirowner，hishouseorhisflocks。Russianpeasantsbelievethemtobethearrowsofthunder，andfatherstransmitthemtotheirchildrenaspreciousheirlooms。ThesamebeliefisheldinFrance，Ireland，andScotland，inScandinavia，andHungary，aswellasinAsiaMinor，inJapan，China，andBurnlap；
inJava，andamongstthepeopleoftheBahamaIslands，asamongstthenegroesoftheSoudanorthoseofthewestcoastofAfrica，[19]
wholookuponthesestonesasboltslaunchedfromHeavenbySango，thegodofthunder；amongsttheancientinhabitantsofNicaraguaaswellastheMalays，who，however，stillmakesimilarimplements。
Thenamegiventotheseflintsrecallstheoriginattributedtothem。TheRomanscallthemCERAUNIAfromkeraun’oc，thunder，andinthecatalogueofthepossessionsofanobleVeronesepublishedin1656，wefindthemmentionedunderthisname。[20]EveryoneknowsCymbeline’sfuneralchantinShakespeare’splay：
FearnomorethelightningflashNorthealldreadedthunder-stone。
InGermanyweareshownDONNER-KEILE，inAlsaceDORMER-AXT，inHollandDONNER-BEITELS，inDenmarkTORDENSTEEN，inNorwayTORDENKEILE，inSwedenTHORSOGGAR，Thorhavingbeenthegodofthunderamongstnorthernnations；whilewiththeCelts[21]theMENGURUN，inAsiaMinortheYLDERIM-TACHI，inJapantheRAI-FU-SEKI-NO-RUI，inRoussillonthePEDRUSDELAMP，andinAndalusiathePIEDRASDERAYOhavethesamesignification。TheinhabitantsoftheMindanaoislandscallthesestonestheteethofthethunderanimal，andtheJapanesetheteethofthethunder。[22]InCambodia，workedstones，celts，adzes，andgougesorknives，areknownasthunderstones。AChineseemperor，wholivedintheeighthcenturyofourera，receivedfromaBuddhistpriestsomevaluablepresentswhichthedonorssaidhadbeensentbytheLordofHeaven，amongstwhichweretwoflinthatchetscalledLOUI-KONG，orstonesofthegodofthunder。InBrazilwemeetwiththesameideainthenameofCORSICO，orlightnings，giventoworkedflints；whilstinItaly，byallexceptionalmostunique，theyarecalledLINGUESANPAOLO。
Maywenotalsoattributetotheworshipofstonessomeofthereligiousandfuneralritesofantiquity？AccordingtoPorphyry，Pythagoras，onhisarrivalontheislandofCrete，waspurifiedwiththunder-stonesbythedactylpriestsofMountIda。TheEtruscansworeflintarrow-headsontheircollars。TheyweresoughtafterbytheMagi，andtheIndiansgavethemanhonoredplaceintheirtemples。AccordingtoHerodotus，theArabssealedtheirengagementsbymakinganincisionintheirhandswithasharpstone；inEgyptthebodyofacorpsebeforebeingembalmedwasopenedwithaflintknife；asimilarimplementwasusedbytheHebrewsfortheriteofcircumcision；anditwasalsowithcutstonesthatthepriestsofCybeleinflictedself-mutilationinmemoryofthatofAtys。AtRomethestonehatchetwasdedicatedtoJupiterLatialis，andsolemntreatieswereratifiedbythesacrificeofapig，thethroatofwhichwascutwithasharpflint。AccordingtoVirgil，thiscustomwashandeddowntotheancientRomansbytheuncouthnationoftheEquicoles。AtthebeginningoftheChristianera。，theheroescommemoratedbyOssianstillhadinthecentreoftheirshieldsapolishedstoneconsecratedbytheDruids，andasagamaintainsthattheCERAUNIAassuredcertainvictorytotheirowners。OntheothersideoftheAtlantic，theAztecsusedobsidianbladesforthesacrifices，inwhichhundredsofhumanvictimsperishedmiserably；andsimilarbladesareusedbytheGuanchesofTeneriffetoopenthebodiesoftheirchiefsafterdeath。Atthepresentday，theAlbanianPalikaresusepointedflintstocutthefleshofftheshoulder-bladeofasheepwithaviewtoseekinginitsfibresthesecretsofthefuture，andwhenthegodGimawongvisitshistempleofLabode，onthewesterncoastofAfrica，hisworshippersofferhimabullslainwithastoneknife。Lumholtz，[23]inthesecondofhisrecentexplorationsinQueensland，tellsusthatthenativesstillusestoneweapons，varyinginformandinthehandlesused，andthattheweaponsoftheAustralianslivingnearDarlingRiver，aswellasthoseoftheTasmanians，arewithouthandles。
DuringthefirstcenturiesoftheChristianera，strangeriteswerestillperformedinhonorofdolmensandmenhirs。ThecouncilsoftheChurchcondemnedthem，andtheemperorsandkingssupportedbytheirauthoritythedecreesoftheecclesiastics。[24]Childebertin554，Carlomanin742，CharlemagnebyanedictissuedatAix-la-Chapellein789，[25]forbidtheirsubjectstopractisetheseritesborrowedfromheathenism。Butpopesandemperorsarealikepowerlessinthisdirection，andonegenerationtransmitsitstraditionsandsuperstitionstoanother。IntheseventeenthcenturyaProtestantmissionarycalledintheaidoftheseculararmtodestroyasuperstitiondeeplyrootedinthemindsofhispeople；inEngland，sorcererswereproceededagainstforhavingusedflintarrow-headsintheirpretendedwitchcraft；inSweden，apolishedhatchetyeasplacedinthebedofwomeninthepangsoflabor；inBurmah，thunder-stonesreducedtopowderwerelookeduponasaninfalliblecureforophthalmia；andtheCanacheshaveacollectionofstoneswithaspecialsuperstitionconnectedwitheach。Butwhyseekexamplessofarawayandinapastsoremote？Inourowndayantiinourownlandwefindmenwhothinkthemselvesinvulnerableandtheircattlesafeiftheyarefortunateenoughtopossessapolishedflint。
Prehistorictimesaregenerallydividedintothreeepochs——theSTONE
AGE，theBRONZEAGE，andtheIRONAGE。WeowethisclassificationtothearchaeologistsofNorthernEurope。[26]Itisneitherveryexactnorverysatisfactory，andfreshdiscoveriesdailytendtounsettleit。[27]Alsbergmaintainedthatironwasthefirstmetalused，foundinghiscontentiononthescarcityoftin，thedifficultyofobtainingalloys，andonthesixty-oneironfoundriesofSwitzerlandwhichmaydatefromprehistorictimes。Therarityofthediscoveryofironobjects，heurged，isaccountedforbytheeasewithwhichsuchobjectsaredestroyedbyrust。TherehasneverbeenaBronzeoranIronageinAmerica，sothatitwouldseemverydoubtfulwhetherallraceswentthroughthesamecyclesofdevelopment。ImyselfpreferthedivisionintothePALAEOLITHICperiod，whenmenonlyusedroughlychippedstones，andtheNEOLITHICperiod，whentheycarefullypolishedtheirstoneweapons。“Theremay，“saysAlexanderBertrand，[28]“beoneimmutablelawforthesuccessionofstratathroughouttheentirecrustoftheearth，butthereisnocorrespondinglawapplicabletohumanagglomerationsortothesuccessionofthestrataofcivilization。Itwouldbeaverygraveerrortoadoptthetheoryaccordingtowhichallhumanraceshavepassedthroughthesamephasesofdevelopmentandhavegonethroughthesamecompleteseriesofsocialconditions。“