The herald., 1894-09-23
THE BRONZE AGE IN EUROPE.
Interesting Deductions About
Prehistoric Times.
The Slow Evolution of Utensils and
Weapons.
The Middle Division of tho Period
without History = Primovai
Man and Hts Devol-
opment.
BY WIN. II. KNIGHT.

| A paper read before the Southern
California Science association September
IL, 1894
The prehistoric ages, as now defined
by ethnologists, comprise three great iii.
Visions, called. respectively, the Stone
age, the Bronze age and the Iron age.
The first division embraces the period
extending back to the oldest discovered
evidences of mans existence and reaches
down to the time when the first imple-
menta made of metal came into use.
Only stone, flint, oone and wooden
utensils are found in the geo.
logic deposits OF the stone
age. In the succeeding or bronze
age, knives, axes, spears swords and
other objects in great variety. made OF
an alloy of copper and tin, we're extern
sivel y used. but iron was unknown. The
epoch Immediately preceding historic
times, is known as the iron age. because
the metal from which it derives its
name then came into general use.
The stone ege dawned upon Western
and Central Europe at period 30 re-
mote as to be clearly identified with a
geological era preceding the present,
The two great divisions OF that age, pale.
olithic and neollthic, were Of vast dura-
tion, yet the progress of the human race in
uaeful arts and modes OF life was slow
and inconsidersble, to be measured only
by comparisons made thousands OF years
apart.
The bronze epoch, on the other hand,
b rings us down to almost historic times
and is characterized by rapid develop
ment of the race in the mechanical
arts, husbandry and an organized and
complex social life.
The Imagination, cropping backwards
into the dim recesses of the remote past,
is enabled, through the researches of
arcb@ologiste, to picture time, per-
haps $4,000. possibly 100000 years dis
tant. when 1.-the, agile, erect form
roamsd the primeval forests OF tho pre-
glacial period, eluding the mammoth,
rhinoceros. giant tiger. lion and other
fierce beasts in his quest OF the nuts,
berries and roots which served him for
food, and disputing with the bear, the
wolf and the hyena the shelter of thick
cts, caves and overhanging rocks for
these were his freless habitRtions.
When this strange being first gave
shape to the bough OF q tree, and used
the club go formed as weapon of de-
tense against other wild animals: :
when he selected q pointed
flint or fattened boulder, and
by grinding il on another stone fash
ioned it into the semblance of knife
or AK. and thus orested an Implement
his fellows, he exhibited mental acumen
and manual skill that entitled him to q
place in the ranks of man. When again,
after the slow lapse of many ages, be
had sufficiently developed bis thinking,
inventive and creative faculties, to dig
from mineral deposits, smelt and mould
a metallic ore, converting it into do
mestic utensil, an agricultural imple-
ment. decorative ornament, or a
weapon OF warfare, he had made an ad-
vance in material progress which was OF
the utmost Importance in the intellect
ual development of the human race.
The process of shaping flint arrow
head, or grinding stone hatchet, each
individual making his own tools, was
an infinitely tedious one, tending to
keep the mind constantly narrowed
down to its plodding work. The forg-
ing or moldlng OF a bronze knife or bat
tle-ax, on the other hand, while pro-
ductlve OF more effective, varied and
durable implements, also resulted ia
enormous time-saving and labor-saving
one akilled artisan doing the work for
many individuals. This afforded
leisure for observation, investigation
and experiment, and the latest
energies were diverted into new chan
nela of industry and new fields of adven-
ture. Indeed, the gain TO material pro-
gress arising from the use of bronze over
stone implements may be compared to
the quickened intellectual progress
which followed the substitution OF nova
Bile types for written characters at the
close of tho middle ages.
The art of hronzs-msking was per-
haps discovered by some keen-witted
individual belonging to an advanced
rtone-age tribe, from whom knowledge
of the art spread to contempo-
raneous tribes and nations. II this
hypothesis be true, the interesting
question confronts US. "When and
where did the art originate?" As yet
it is unanswered, and we eau only spec
ulate, ueing the dim and fiekering ligh.
Afforded By the mosgre relics which, in
the past few years, have bsen exhumed
from an Oblivion oil aGes, to guide our
reesarcheg End illuminate our judgment.
hiret, by what strange Inversion OF
nature did the bronze age, deriving it's
name from valuable metallic alloy,
precede the iron age, representing the
most abundant and universally distrio-
used OF metals2 The answer ia readily
suggested to the evolutionist. Copper,
the principal element in bronze, il frs-
quently found in a native metallic state,
IL 10 inaiDle at much lower tempsra-
ture than iron, snd is more tractahle in |
hands provided only with rude tools.
Bronzs is an alloy OF copper and tin,
about nine parts OF the former to one of
tho latter. and ig not to 10 confounded |
with brass, which 10 an elloy OF copper
and zinc. Brass 10 Of modern Gate, zinc
being unknown so the ancients.
Copper lie metal OF very general
distribution. Il is found in almost
every country of the globe, some-
times in @ pure or native state,
In which condition it can be hammered
or moulded into any desired shape, but
far moro frequently it exlsta AS an ore,
which requires emelting and reduction
bslors it can serve the uses OF man.
Tin, on the other hand, is q
very scarce metal, and never
occurs native, but always as ore.
There ware three principal sources
of tin in ancient times in the old world,
towt: Tho Malay peninsula and adia-