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DESCRIPTIONS OP CRANIA.
found with this skeleton was a fragment, about one inch long, of one of the simiilest of the
instruments made of the precious flint, the edges of which ai-e slightly
serrated. The exact use of this work of man's device, and article of
import also, probably obtained from a neighboui-ing tribe, for flint
does not occui- geologicaUy in or yery near the eoimty of Derby, it might not be easy to
determine.
Above this cist a cairn of fragments of sandstone had been raised, most lilcely before interments
by cremation were practised on the spot. The dark horizontal line of our wood-cut
indicates the situation of a stratum of biu-nt earth traversing the Barrow at this height.
Punereal rites by incineration had evidently been celebrated on this surface; which was scattered
over fldtb a thin layer of wood-charcoal. In the centre of the Barrow, and resting upon this
carbonaceous deposit, stood a fine urn of dai i British pottery, eleven inches high, and nine at its
British Cinerary Vrn,fram Ballidon Moor Barrow. Height 11 inc/iM, greatest diameter 9 inches.
greatest diameter at the top; not in the more commonly inverted, but in an upright position.
It is ornamented in the usual style of lineal impressions, most probably made by a twisted thong
of untanned leather, with rows of lines, alternately upright and horizontal, around the upper
division; and in the middle the lines are varied into the zigzag, having distinct crosses and
other impressions in the intervals. It contained calcined bones in a clean state, and mingled with
them a portion of the jaw of some smaU animal, bones of the Water-vole {Anicola amphibius,
Desmar.), so common in the Derbyshire Barrows, a bone-pin, fom- inches in length and finely
pointed, and a flint arrow-head: all calcined. The urn was closed by a large flat stone, the two
ends of wMch-rested upon side waUs, so as to protect the deposit and secure it from superincumbent
pressure. Did this urn contain the inconsiderable yet sacred remains of one whose
devotion in life the distinguished dead below had oft experienced,—one who held life itself
subordinate to his fate ? The fearful conjecture seems not by any means improbable.
Interred in the sofl above this portion of the Barrow, and lying amongst loose stones, the
remains of four other skeletons occurred, placed in the primitive flexed position. One of these
had apparently been distui-bed at no long period subsequent to interment, and the bones laid in
order before they had become decayed—a practice adopted by some uncivilized people in more
modern times.
This Barrow of the British period presents unquestionable evidences of very primeval
times, and contained the relics of a true aboriginal inhabitant of these Islands, piously laid in
(2)
ANCIENT BRITISH—BALLIDON MOOR, DERBYSHIRE.
r h •iiíi 4
his last resting-place with great care, but in aU rude simplicity. It is rich in instruction, and
marked by precise phases of information. It shows almost certainly the contemporaneous
adoption of inhumation and cremation—the latter, perhaps, yielding to the first a short
lirecedency; or possibly, in this instance, a rite of the nature of a " Suttee," and subordinate to
the former.
This cranium possesses a rugged face, the bones of which are rough, angular, especially the
lower jaw, and deeply impressed by strong muscular action. The space enclosed by the zygomatic
arch is rather large. It is the skull of a man, of probably about forty-five years of age.
The teeth, which are not remarkably large, must have been complete at the period of interment,
except the two last molars of the upper jaw on the left side, which had previously perished by
caries, their alveoli being wholly absorbed. Some of the molars stUl retain a thick coating of
tartar; and the teeth altogether indicate the severe service to which they were subjected during
Hfe, for the crowns of almost all are worn down to a level surface, by the mastication of hard
substances. The nasal bones, which had been fractm-ed obliquely across the centre during the
life of this primitive hunter, possibly in some encounter of the chase, and had united perfectly
with a slight bend to the right, are very prominent. The opening of the nostrils, moderate in
size, is just an inch in diameter. The frontal sinuses are large, and project considerably over
the nose. The frontal bone is not particularly remarkable either for its arched or receding form,
but inclines to the latter. The parietal bones are regular, and do not present much lateral prominency.
The occipital is somewhat fuR above the protuberance, which itself is strongly marked.
The point of the chin is hoUowed out, or depressed, in the middle, a not uncommon feature of
the British skuR, which may perhaps be taken as an indication of a dimple, a mark of beauty in
the other sex. The profile of the calvarium presents a pretty uniform curvature, interrupted by
a slight rising in the middle of the parietal bones, and the occipital protuberance. The outline
of the vertical aspect is a tolerably regular oval. The entire cranium is of moderate density.
MEASUREMENTS.
Horizontal circumference
Longitudinal diameter
Prontal Region.—Length
Breadth
Height
Parietal Region.—Length
Breadth
Height
20-5 inches.
7-0 „
5-1 „
é-8 „
4-8 „
„
5-4 „
4-8 „
Occipital Region.—Length
Breadth
Height
Intermastoid arch . . .
Internal capacity . . .
Pace.—Length
Breadth . . .
Length of the Pemur . .
4-5 inches.
5-3 „
3-7 „
15-0 „
74J ounces.
4-4 inches.
5 6 „
18-6 „
This skull is a good example of the ancient British form, which is weU expressed in it. We
regard it as a typical instance of this form. It will be seen to belong to the brachy-cephalic
ortho-gnathous order of Professor A. Retzius. Its most striking peculiarities are the rude
character of the face, greatly heightened by the prominent frontal sinuses, and its moderate
dimensions. It seems to have belonged to one whose struggle for life was severe, to conquer the
denizens of the forest his chief skiU, and whose food consisted of crude and coarse articles. StiU
there remain irrefi-agable evidences, even at this distant day, that his strife was a successful one,
and that he became the lord of the wilderness. (J. B. D.)
1- (3)
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