Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-08-03
THE LAKE JEWELLERS.
The Curious People OF Prehistoric
Times.

The Curious People of Prehistoric
Times.
The connection" as it is called, of the
waters of the Jura, that the Swiss authori-
ties have for some years been carrying on
as future preventive against floods, says
the Boston AdUerttser, has resulted in being
ofin valuable service to archaeology. The
level of the lakes, Neuchatel and Brienne,
has fallen so far as to lay bare many
Lacustrine Stations, where for the past
ten years excavations have been going on.
During that time as many as 1859
priceless relics have been found, "throW-
ing flood of light" says Mr.. William
Westall in the last Contemporary, con the
history, the habits and the civilization of
the race of men who, thousands of years
before the Christian Era, made their
homes on the lakes of Central Europe, and
to whom has been given the apt name of
Proto-Hebretians." The article in the
aforementioned periodical, describing
and commenting upon these valuable dis
coveries, is full OF extreme interest. DR..
Goss of NeureYille, on the Lake OF Neu-
chatel, who has done more than any other
in this work, and who owns the richest
private collection of LacustriEe relics in
existence, holds to the theory, which
every new discovery tends to confirm, of
three ages-an age of stone, an age OF
bronze, and an age OF iron. Most of the
hatchets and chisels found in the ruins of
the older stations are of rare stones, which
has led to cOnjectures as to trade that was
probably carried on between the Hebretic
Lakes and the confines of China. Ingeni-
Gus fishing gear, arrow heads and hairpins
in great abundance have been found, Be-
sides being carvers in stone, the Lake
jewellers were workers in wood and skill
full boat-builders. An ox-yOke, fragments
of tables and a well-preserved canoe of
oak and such objects have given notable
evidence of this.
The relics found of the age of bronze
show marked advance on preceding
ages, some of the swords particularly be-
ing elegantly shaped and exquisitely
worked. Other interesting finds include
a distaff, a bundle of linen yarn, and linen
tissues. The bits, chariot wheel, bones
and skeletons of horses that have been
met with, show that the ProtO-HelYetians
added Craftsmanship to their other accom-
plishments. The general impression,
among those most competent to judge,
see MS to be that, while the bronze used
by the ProtO-Helvetians was obtained
either by trade or plumber, most of their
arms, tools and ornaments were home
made; an opinion which finds support in
the great number of mOulds, hammers,
anvils, pincers, ingots of tin and half
fused metal found. 'sWere the men of the
stone age and the bronze age of the same
racep asks the writer in the COntempor-
arg. SIS it not at least possible that the
latter were immigrants or c0nquerors
who brought with them from the East
weapons of bronze and the art of working
in metalsg Be this as it may, there is
ample evidence that the Lacustrians of
the bronze period had reached a high
degree of civilization-that they were
prosperous, Industrious and intelligent.
Everywhere among the relics of this
period are to be found signs of wealth and
well-being; indications of poverty there
are none. The people of the Ia1e-dwel-
lings had sufficient engineering capacity
and mechanical skill to drive into the
ground the thousands and tens of thou
sands of piles on which they built villages.
They were skilled in husbandry, grew
corn, owned horses, bred cattle, and they
hunted wild animals rather as diversion
than as a means of subsistence. Their
taste, as displayed in the fashion of their
weapons, the styles of their Orna-
ments, and the shapeliness of their
pottery, was pure and elevated. As
race the lake-dWellers were gifted and
intelligent"