The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-01-06

d
crate estimate.
Passing now from Paleolithi2 man Of
the Ia est geological time whose WORKS
lie under tie deposit of ages. to Neolithic
man CT surface history. whose polished
stone tools lie on Jhe ground, We ind also
how greatly views have changed. For
ages past Ee,al-using man has looked On
the beautifully polished or Clipped yea
pens Of his fCrefathcFs as ''thunIarbn s.
possessing magic powers, and he often
mounted the smaller CHes to wear IS
charms At the beginning CT this cen mr.
We'll finished stone weapons were only
preserved as curiCSitiCs which miglt e.
long TO some remote age, Lut without ny
definite IDEAS about them. The Iecogni-
ticr CT long ages of earlier unpJlisaed
stone work has now put these more clab-
! crate specimens to a compare lively late
period and yel are probably older than the
date to which cur forefathers placed The
creation CT man.
The beginning of a more intelligent
knowledge Of such things was laid by the
systematic excavations OF the burial
mounds scattered ever the south of Eng
land. which was done in the early part
Of this century by Sir Richard Colt HGa1e.
A solid basis of facts was laid, which be-
gan 10 supersede the romances woven by
StUl eley and others in the last century.
Gradually more exact methods of search
were introduced, and in The last thirty
years Canon Greenwich has done much,
and Gen. Pitt Rivers has established a
standard Of accurate and complete work
with perfect recording, which is the high
est development of archaeological udy.
These and other researches have opened up
the life of Neolithic man to US, and We
see that he was much as modern man, 4
compared with the earlier stage of man
as a hunter. The Neoiithic man made
pottery spun and woye linen, cons tructed
enormous earthworks both fer defence
and for burial and Systematically made
1 his tools Of the best material he could
oh ain by combined labor in mining TIE
extensive flint mines in chalk districts Of
England show long-continued labor; and
the perfect form and splendid finish Of
many Of the stone weapons show that
skilled leisure could be devoted to them.
and that esthetic taste had been Gevel-
oped. The large camps prove that thor
ouga tribal organization prevailed, though
probably confined to small clans.
About the middle of the century a new
tyne of dwelling began to be explored the
lake dwelling; this system of building
towns upon piles in lakes had the great
advantage OF protection from enemies and
I wild beasts. and constant supply of food
in the fish that could be hooked from the
water below. Though such settlements
were first found in the Swiss lakes, and
explored there by Keller they have since
been found in France. Hungary. Italy,
Holland, and the British Isles. The ear
lier settlements Of this form belong to
the Neolithic age, but only in cen raj
Europe. In these earliest lake dwellings
weaving was known, and the cultivation
of fax, grapes and other fruit and corn;
while the usual domestic animals were
kept and cattle were yoked TO the plcw;
nff
namented with geometrie patterns. The
type of man was rcIndheade1. Following
the Neolitchic lake dwellings came those
of the Bronze Age, and as the bronze OBJ
jects are similar to those found in other
kinds of dwellings we shall notice them in
the Bronze Age in general. The type OF
man was longer headed than in the car
ller lake settlement. The domesti5aiion
Of animals shows an advance; the horse
was common, and the dog, OK, pig, and
sheep were greatly improved. Pottery was
better made and deliberately decorated,
often with strips Of tinfoil.
The Bronze Age marks z great step in
mans history. In many countries the use
I OF copper, hardened by arsenic or oxide,
was common for long before the alloy Of
copper and tin was used. In other coun-
tries where the uae Of metals WAS I'M
ported. copper appears only as native
imitation Of the imported bronze. Hence
there is a true age Of copper in lands
where the use Of metals has grown. 1t
must by no means be supposed that copper
excluded the use Of flint; it was not Until
bronze become common that flint was us
used. The existence Of Bronze Age was
first formulated as distinct from a Stone
Age about seventy years ago; and the
existence Of 4 Copper Age has been much
disputed ia the last thirty years. bat has
only been proved clearly ten years al go,
in Egypt.
In the last century the bronze weapons
found in England were attributed TO the
Romans by some writer's, though others,
with more reason, argued that they were
British In the first year OF this century
began the comparative study Of such wea-
| pous with reference to modern savage
! PRODUCTS The development of the metal
I forms from stone prototypes was pointed
I out in 1916; the tracing out Of the sue
| cezsiOn OF the forms and the modes OF use
/ appeared in 1s47. Further study cleared
! M the details and within the last twenty
, years the fun knowledge OF the Bronze
! Age in other countries has left no ques-
! ton as 10 the general facts Of the sequence
/ OF its history. In each type OF tool and
weapon there appears first a very simple
7 form initiated from the stone implements
which were earlier used. Gradually the
/ facilities given by the casting and tough
/ ness OF the metal were used. and the forms
! were uoGined; oruameutaiion was added
: ard thin work IN embossed patterns gave
/ the stiffness and strength which had been
] attained before by massive forms. Tie
J general types are the axe. first plain
( slip Of metal later developed with a
{ socket; then the chisel. gOuge, sickle,
I knife, dagger. sword, spear. and shield;
. personal objects as pins, necklets. brace
! lets, earrings, buttons, buckles, and DO
= Of fIre
/ forms we're found together. all worn out
/ and broken in the great bronzc-folnder's
/ hoard al Bologna
Lastly in the prehistory OF Europe
| comes the Iron Age which so much belongs
/ to the historical period that We can best
! consider il In noticing separate countries.
! From the recent discoveries in Egypt
we can gain some idea Of the date Of these
| periods. We ventured to assign about
II, 600 p. c. for the rise OF the Neolithic
J or polished stone period (it may very pos
sibly be earlier); the beginning OF the use
Of copper may be placed about 5000 B. C.;
| the beginning of bronze was perhaps 5000
! or 1000 B. c.. as its free use in Egypt is
! not till 1900 B. c.. and the use OF iron
| beginning about 1000 b. c., probably in
| Armenia. spread thence through Europe
! until It reached Italy perhaps goo years
| B. c.. and Britain about 400 B. C. Such
! is the briefest outline OF the greater part
| OF tho history Of man, massed together in
/ ono general term OF rehistoric." before
| we reach the little fringe of history nearest
to our own age. The whole Of this knowl-
! edge results from The work OF this cen
| tury
| We now turn TO the historical ages OF
each of the principal countries, TO review
what advance has been made even where
a basis OF written record has come down
| to us, equally accessible in all recent