Research Items

Abstract

PRE-PALÆOLITHIC IMPLEMENTS.—In vol. 5, pt, 3, of the Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society of Bast Anglia, Mr. J. Reid Moir has some further remarks on the archaeological contents of the Forest Bed at Cromer. In 1926 and 1927 he again examined the remarkable spreads of flints exposed at low tide at Cromer, East and West Runton, and at Sheringham. It was noted that the flints differ in character at the different sites. On the Cromer site were found a number of black unchanged flints, obviously not due to human action; but among these are a number of flakes which do show a clearly denned bulb of percussion. These are due to the action of visitors and children searching for shellfish, when either they are broken as slabs of rock are turned over or dropped to make them break. Although the fortuitously made bulb can generally be distinguished from the type of bulb shown by the ochreous specimen, there are some which are comparable. It is thought that these may be explained by an incomplete detachment in flaking which has afterwards jarred off. It is pointed out that no ochreous specimens occurred among the spreads of flint uncovered by the great storms of 1927—28 and bulbous flakes were conspicuous by their absence. It is also pointed out that some of the ochreous flints collected in 1927 bear evidence of glacial action in the form of striations on their flaked surfaces. It may not be out of place to direct attention in this connexion to some remarks by Mr. C. E. Vulliamy on the subject of tertiary man in Man for January. He points out that the rostro-carinate is one of the commonest forms produced by natural agency, and further, that while the flints attributed to human agency agree in size with the naturally shaped flints on their respective sites, prehistoric man must have gone to an immense trouble to produce an implement not too well adapted to his needs when there were innumerable natural forms ready to hand which would have served his purpose as well or better.