The Grime's Graves Fauna

Extract

The publication by Dr. A. Rutot of a paper “Sur la faune des Mammiferes de l'époque de la Pierre polie en Belgique,” renders it possible to compare the faunas of Grime's Graves and Spiennes and to consider their chronological position much more fully than could be done in the ‘Report on the Excavations at Grime's Graves, Weeting,” and in my paper “Are Grime's Graves Neolithic?” (“Proceedings,” Vol. II., pp. 339–349). For purposes of comparison Dr. Rutot gives a list of mammals identified in Azilian deposits in Belgian caves, a list of the fauna in the first stage of polished stone, corresponding with the Upper Spiennian, and another of mammals found in recent peat, which he considers began to form towards the middle of the Neolithic period, a little before the age of polished stone, and continued without interruption until the end of the third century, A.D. In order to facilitate comparison, I have tabulated these lists and included the Grime's Graves fauna. It should be borne in mind that Dr. Rutot's lists apply only to Belgium, and that other species than those recorded have been found in Britain, for example, in the peat.