Page:The Life of Lokamanya Tilak.djvu/409

Rh archaeological and geological discoveries; for if man existed before the last Glacial period and witnessed the gigantic change which brought on the Ice age, it is not unnatural to expect that a reference, howsoever concealed and distant, to these events would be found in the oldest traditionary beliefs and memories of mankind. If we read some of the passages in the Vedas, which have hitherto been considered incomprehensible, in the light of the new scientific discoveries, we arc forced to the conclusion that the home of the ancestors of the Vedic people was somewhere near the North Pole before the last Glacial epoch.

Before proceeding to discuss the Vedic texts which point to a Polar Home, it is necessary to briefly state the results of recent discoveries in archaeology, geology and palaeontology. Human races of earlier times have left ample evidence of their existence on the surface of this globe. It consists of hundreds and thousands of rude or polished instruments of stone and metal, recently dug out from old camps, fortifications, burial-grounds, temples etc. Archaeologists have come to the conclusion that these implements can be classified into those of stone, those of bronze and those of iron, representing three different stages of civilisation in the progress of man in pre-historic times. Of these three different ages, the oldest or the Stone age is further divided into the PalaeoUthic and the Neolithic period or the old and the new Stone age.

The Geologist takes up the history of the earth at the point where the archaeologist leaves it and carries it further back into antiquity. From an examination of the stratified rocks, according to the character of the