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years ago to the present.) Ribeiro therefore assigned Quaternary —_ in his Musée Préhistorique (G. and A. de Mortillet, 1881). ages to the implement-bearing strata (Ribeiro, 1866; Ribeiro and De Mortillet (1883:99) wrote: "The intentional work is very Delgado, 1867). well established, not only by the general shape, which can be Upon seeing the maps and accompanying reports, geologists in _ deceptive, but much more conclusively by the presence of clearly other countries were perplexed. The French geologist E. de evident striking platforms and strongly developed bulbs of Verneuil wrote to Ribeiro on May 27, 1867, asking him to send an _ percussion." explanatory note; this was read at the June 17 meeting of the Leland W. Patterson (1983), an expert in distinguishing arti- Geological Society of France and later published in the bulletin of facts from "naturefacts", believes that the bulb of percussion is the the Society (Ribeiro, 1867). On July 16, de Verneuil wrote once —_— most important sign of intentional work on a flint flake. In addi- more to Ribeiro, again objecting to his placing the Portuguese for- _ tion to the striking platforms and bulbs of percussion, some of mations in the Quaternary and insisting they must be Tertiary. Ribeiro's specimens had several long vertical flakes removed in During that same year, Ribeiro learned that the Abbé Louis parallel, something not likely to occur in the course of random Bourgeois, a reputable investigator, had reported finding stone battering by the forces of nature. implements in Tertiary beds in France, and that some authorities De Mortillet (1883:99-100) further observed: "Many of the supported him (de Mortillet, 1883:85). Under the twin influences specimens, on the same side as the bulb of percussion, have hol- of de Verneuil's criticism and the discoveries of Bourgeois, lows with traces and fragments of sandstone adhering to them, a Ribeiro began reporting that implements of human manufacture fact which establishes their original position in the strata." In had been found in Miocene formations in Portugal (Ribeiro, 1871, other words, they had not slipped into the Miocene beds in more 1873a:98). recent times. From the standpoint of modern geology, Ribeiro's assessment of the age of the implement-bearing formations in the Tagus River val- ley near Lisbon is correct. The offical geological maps of Portugal show the formations at Ribeiro's key sites to be Early to Middle Miocene (Zbyszweski and Ferreira, 1966:9-11). In 1871, Ribeiro exhibited to the members of the Portuguese Academy of Science at Lisbon a collection of flint and quartzite implements, including those gath- ered from the Tertiary formations of the Tagus valley, and published a study on them (Ribeiro, 1871). The implements described in this study show not only striking plat- forms, bulbs of percussion and worked edges, but also signs of use. In 1872, at the International Congress of Prehistoric Anthropology and Archaeology meeting in Brussels, Ribeiro gave another report on his discoveries (3) They had a patina similar in and displayed more specimens, colour to the rocks in the strata of mostly pointed flakes. A. W. Carlos Ribeiro (1813-1882) was appointed head of the which they formed a part." Franks, Conservator of National Geological Commission of Portugal in 1857. The second point is especially Antiquities and Ethnography at the British Museum, stated that important. Some geologists claimed that the flint implements had some of the specimens were the product of intentional work. been introduced into Miocene beds by the floods and torrents that Ribeiro's Miocene flints made an impressive showing, but periodically washed over this terrain. According to this view, remained controversial. At the Paris Exposition of 1878, Ribeiro Quaternary flint implements may have entered into the interior of displayed specimens of Tertiary flint tools in the gallery of the Miocene beds through fissures and been cemented there, anthropological science. De Mortillet visited Ribeiro's exhibit acquiring over a long period of time the coloration of the beds (de and, in the course of examining the specimens carefully, decided Quatrefages, 1884:95). But if the flints had been subjected to 7 RIBEIRO IS VINDICATED At the 1880 meeting of the International Congress of Prehistoric Anthropology and Archaeology, held in Lisbon, Portugal, Ribeiro served as gen- eral secretary.* Although very busy with all of the details of organising the event, and some- what ill, he delivered a report on his artifacts and displayed more specimens that were "extracted from Miocene beds" (Ribeiro, 1884:86). In his report ("L'homme terti- aire en Portugal"), Ribeiro (1884:88) stated: "The conditions in which the worked flints were found in the beds are as follows: (1) They were found as integral parts of the beds themselves. (2) They had sharp, well-pre- served edges, showing that they had not been subject to transport for any great distance. that they had indubitable signs of human work. such transport, then the sharp edges would most probably have De Mortillet, along with his friend and colleague Emile been damaged, and this was not the case. Cartailhac, enthusiastically brought other archaeologists to see The Congress assigned a special commission of scientists the Ribeiro's specimens, and they were all of the same opinion: the task of directly inspecting the implements and the sites from flints were definitely made by humans. Cartailhac then pho- which they had been gathered. On September 22, 1880, at six in tographed the specimens, and de Mortillet later presented pictures the morning, the commission members boarded a special train and in his Musée Préhistorique (G. and A. de Mortillet, 1881). De Mortillet (1883:99) wrote: "The intentional work is very well established, not only by the general shape, which can be deceptive, but much more conclusively by the presence of clearly evident striking platforms and strongly developed bulbs of ercussion.” Leland W. Patterson (1983), an expert in distinguishing arti- acts from "naturefacts", believes that the bulb of percussion is the most important sign of intentional work on a flint flake. In addi- tion to the striking platforms and bulbs of percussion, some of Ribeiro's specimens had several long vertical flakes removed in arallel, something not likely to occur in the course of random attering by the forces of nature. De Mortillet (1883:99-100) further observed: "Many of the specimens, on the same side as the bulb of percussion, have hol- ows with traces and fragments of sandstone adhering to them, a act which establishes their original position in the strata." In other words, they had not slipped into the Miocene beds in more recent times. Carlos Ribeiro (1813-1882) was appointed head of the Geological Commission of Portugal in 1857. 58 + NEXUS DECEMBER 2000 — JANUARY 2001