The herald., 1897-08-15

LONDON, Aug. 4.-Scientific men are
deeply interested in archaeological discov-
cries just made concerning ancient Brit
ons. Thirteen graves opened at little
place called Danesdale. near Driffield, in
east Yorkshire, revealed relics that
showed that the burials took place at
least a thousand years before the ad-
vent of William the Conqueror to Brit
ish soil.
For so long that the memory of man
runneth not to the contrary the mounds
or graves just opened have been sup
posed to be the last resting places Of
ancient Danes. They. were called the
Danes graves" Indeed, the town of
Danesdale referred to gained its name
|, from that supposition. The graves or
mounds are 173 in number, but only thir-
teen have thus far been opened. They are
surrounded by forests and upon some of
the mounds huge trees are growing.
Archaeologists have long believed that
investigation of the ancient mounds
would lead to important discoveries. 1t
was this sentiment which led the East
Riding Antiquarian society, through
Canon Greenwell of Durham, to insti-
tute the inquiry which resulted in open
mound was found not only the bones Of
an ancient Briton, but the iron tire of
his chariot, the iron bit and trappings
of his horse, and a bronze pin, beautiful
in design, and enameled. The shape Of
the grave and the curious curled-up po-
sition of the skeleton left no doubt as to
| the age to which all belonged, and dis
| posed to the satisfaction of every one
of the Danish theory which has so long
prevailed.
| Perhaps the most notable of the relics,
so far as establishing the antiquity
thereof is concerned, was the bronze pin.
| 1t is a specimen of the earliest known
British enameling and is Of a type most
peculiar to the iron period. 1t has pc
culiar twist in the shank which makes it's
origin an absolute certainty. 1t is one
of the curious facts found in British his
tory that pins such as the one described
only existed during a certain period.
Distinct changes in articles of this sort
were made at a certain point in the de-
velopment of Britain. This fact is known
absolutely, and therefore this pin settles
beyond question the point as to the time
before which it must have been made.
| Two other graves were opened at Ar
ras and Beverley in which chariots were
found, and in the one at Arras the tires
and naves of the wheels were complete.
The tires are of iron and the naves of
| bronze. There were also found in these
graves an iron mirror with bronze
| mountings, the end of a shank of a
bronze whip and two or three rings
through which the reins of the chariot
must have been carried. The bones found
at Beverley had gone to decay, but at
| Arras the human remains and the bones
! of the horses appeared as fresh as If
| they had been buried hundred years
| ago.
The graves referred to as having been
opened were not close together. For
| instance the places of discovery, Danes
dale and Arras, are twelve miles apart.
The theory advanced by the archaeolo-
gists who have taken the matter up is
that the district through which the
mounds are found was formerly the
burying place of the ancient Briton,
probably years before the Danes at
tempted the conquest of the island. The
relics discovered indicate that they once
were part of and the property of lead
ers among the aboriginal inha bitants of
| Britain.
| I1ere mas Deen dispute Tor q very long
time between archaeologists as to the
occupation of the territory in which the
mounds were found, by the Danes and
the early Britons. One faction of dis
putants held, that the mounds, being
accepted as graves of ancient Danes,
were conclusive evidence that the Danes
were in possession of the country CEN
turiee before some persons claimed to
believe. The second faction held that
the Danes had never held possession of
the country, but that it was for centur-
les located in the center of the strong
hold of the Britons of early days.
The formation OF the tires and the
naves of the chariots found also indi-
Gated hitherto unknown communica-
ton between the Romans and the early
Britons. The tires and the naves are
almost exactly similar to those now in
the British Museum at London which
are known to have been in use in Rome
about the same period in which the
original chariots to which the British
tires and naves were attached sped over
the soil of the island. 1t establishes a
new fact in history in reference to the
relations and power of Rome, and while
it settles one dispute, makes seemingly