Assessment Questions 1.6

1. How did scientists in the seventeenth century view the flint objects that looked like simple tools, and what limitations did they face in their explanations?

Some scientists in the seventeenth century suggested that these flint objects looked like simple tools made by people in the past. However, their explanation was limited by the restriction that a previous race of stone-tool-using humans could be no more than about 6,000 years old, aligning with the age of the Earth and the universe based on biblical chronology.

2. Who made a significant discovery in 1797 related to primitive stone tools, and what was significant about this discovery?

John Frere, a young Englishman, made a significant discovery in 1797. What made his discovery significant was that primitive stone tools were excavated at great depth (12 ft below the surface), and the bones of extinct animals were found above the tools in more recently deposited soil layers. This placement implied a great age for the tools and the humans who made them.

3. What evidence did Frere and Boucher de Perthes provide for the great antiquity of stone tools and human species?

Frere and Boucher de Perthes found stone tools in deep excavations, in layers where bones of extinct animals were also recovered. The stratigraphic context and association of the tools with fossil bones provided strong evidence for their great antiquity, suggesting a time when people relied on stone tools, and animals now extinct roamed the European countryside. This implied a greater antiquity for the human species than allowed in biblically based chronology.