Page:Palæolithic Man and Terramara Settlements in Europe.djvu/327

 CHAPTER XI

story of mankind, as disclosed by their teleological inventions and the ingenuity displayed in adapting themselves to the vicissitudes of the changeable environment which obtained in Europe during the Quaternary period, forms a unique chapter in the history of the organic world. In exploiting the trail of their existence throughout the dim vista of bygone ages, as revealed by the waifs and strays which they have dropped by the way, there is one special characteristic applicable to all their productions which must be steadily kept in mind in dealing with such an inquiry, and that is, that every object bears the impress of the skill and intelligence of its manufacturer. On this assumption it follows that the tools, weapons, ornaments, and other relics of the prehistoric inhabitants of the world form a graduated scale of the progressive culture and civilisation of their owners. This is the magic key by which the long-hidden secrets of past humanity are now being unlocked. Owing, however, to the inevitable disintegration, which sooner or later overtakes all organic compounds, only a few of their handicraft products have