The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1879-05-03
The Bronze Ago.

| 1t Is we'll known that caves formed
the first habitations of man, not only
during the stone but also the bronze
| age. Throughout Europe inhabited
caves are found. The most interesting
perhaps, are those of Central France
! and those on the banks Of the Meuse.
The latter have the advantage of being
IN three planes, representing three sue
ceSsive risings in the river which ire
Sated It's banks. The present super
posed layers of human remains of three
consecutive epCchs-that of metal, Of
polished stone and rough stone. The
latter, which Is beneath the other two
Is no longer found on level with the
other two layers, which were then be.
meath the water; for the Mcuse at Di-
nant was not less than three leagues
wider. Besides the human remains
there are bones of mammoths. hycnus,
reindeer, animals which were then in
France and Belgium. The inhabitants
OF tho caves made carthen vases, but
knew not the art Of baking them, al
though they had fires. Nj. Dupont
('Homme pendant Faye de la Piere),
from whom the following is obtained,
estimates that during the period of the
mammoths, the width of the Meuse at
Dinant decreased from twelve kilome-
tors to four hundred meters, which is
the distance of the caves in the centre.
To-day it is but thirty meters. The
middle layers, just beneath those of
the mammoth, correspond to the peri
Oh Of the reindeer. The grottoeS,
which are termed pits Of the Mitons OF
Chaleaux, Of Frontal, are striking ex-
amplcs. The remains Of human indus
try are buried beneath bed Of yellow
clay, which covers them. In those, no
bones of mammoths or hyenas are
found, but only those Of some species
now living: the wolf, fox, deer, wild
goat and reindeer. There are yet no
polished stones; there is no trace OF
metals: the p0ttcries are made by hand
but are not baked small stones, pieces
of bone, teeth Of animals, or fossil
shells with holes, composed the orna-
ments Of these people. The third layer
corresponding to the inferior cav
erns OH tho borders of the Meusc, Is
that Of polished stone; 1t Is the epoch
Of dolmens and the lacustrine cities of
Switzerland, Savoy and Italy. yellow
clay disappears, the reindeer: elk, wild
bull and castor have all disappeared.
The halcllets are made of polished
stones, with holes for inserting han.
dies; the pottery Is how baked. This
Il, l,c g. L.,e
III UaYrrus, UuL iHuCil Is IUunu III Luu
earth Of the fields. It is here that
bronze makes its first appearance, and
though scarce in Belgium, it Is found
In great quantities in the central coun-
tries. The caves of the bronze age in
France and In Savoy are Of two kinds
- these used as dwellings, and those,
whether natural or artificial, for sep
ulchral purposes. AS on the Mouse,
tho Inhabited pits of the middle states
are found along rivers, and belong gen
orally TO the period Of transition from
polished stone to bronze. They are
scarce, and among the most important
are those of Saint Saturnin, large ne
olithic station above Chambery those
Of Savigny near Albano, Of La Salette,
and of Leuvaressc (lsere). The people
Of the neolithic period who witnessed
the arrival Of bronze inhabited the
plains and often the borders Of rivers.
The banks Of the Saonc furnish us with
many stations, Of which the successive
epochs appear in superposed layers; it
is especially at the confluence ofstreams
ana about fords That they may BIZ pcr-
ccivcd.