West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1879-04-19
The BronSe Age.

IL l. well 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 Franco
and those on the banks of the Meuse.
The latter have the advantage of being
I'm three planes, representing three sue
cesSiVc risingS in the river which ire
gated its banks. The present super
posed layers of human remains of three
consecutive ep,Chs-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 he.
meath the water; for the Meusc ut hi
nanJ was not less than three leagues
wider. Besides the human remains
there are bones of mammoths. hyenas,
reindeer, animals which were then I'm
France and Belgium. The inhabitsnts
OF tho caves made earthen vases, but
knew not the art of baking them, al
though they had fires. NJ. Dupont
(L'HOmms pCndJHt HAgG Se Ia Piere),
from whom the following Is obtained,
estimates that during the period of the
mammoths, the width of the Mouse at
Dinant decreased from twelve kilome-
ters To four hundred meters, which il
the distance of the caves in the centre.
To-day it is but thirty meters. The
middle layers, just beneath those of
Ihp DnnmInnfh nnrraannnH To A..
od OF the reindeer The grottoes.
which are termed pits of the Mitons ot
ChaleauX, of Frontal, are striking cN-
amples. The romans of human indus
try are buried beneath a bed of yellow
clay, which covers them. In those, no
bones of mammothS or hyenas me
found, but only those of some species
now living tho wolf, fox, deer, wild
goat and reindeer. There are yet no
polished stones; there Is no trace of
metals: the pOttcries are made by hand
but are not baked; small stones, pieces
of bone, teeth of animals, or fossil
shells with holes, composed the orna-
mcnts of these people. The third layer
corresponding TO the inferior cav
crns on the borders of the Meuse, Is
that Of polished stone; IL L. 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 hatchets are made of polished
stones, with holes for inserting han
dies; the pottery Is now baked. This
epoch has left behind but few remains
In caverns, but much Is found in the
earth of the fields. IL IL here that
bronze makes its first appearance, and
though scarce in Belgium, IL Ia found
In great quantities in the central coun-
tries. The caves of the bronze age I'm
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 Meuse,
the 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 Chambcry; those
of Sayigny near Albano, of La Salette,
and of Louvaresse Qsere). 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 SaOne furnish us with
many stations, of which the successive
cpOchs appear In superpOsed layers; it
is especially at the confluence of streams
and about fords that they may be- per-
ceived.