The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1904-10-16
FROM PREHISTORIC : SPAIN.
RELICS OF THOUSANDS OF FEARS
AGO NOW AT isALE.

Specimens OF TIE Girtt Brothers CclIcc-
ton Presented TO the University, by
the Museum at Hrusscls-They Date
Back Almost TO the stone Age.
NEwHAeEN, O t, 1.-THE IT It epc. i,nens
of the Sirat brothsfS eoleSion OF Spanish
prehistoric etone ard copper implements
to come to this country were received this
week at the Yale Peabody Museum by Prof
George Grant Mac(Sirdy, the curator OF
the a1thropoloI ieal collection . Of Yeie
University, - :: ... " 80 3 T.. -
Twenty years or more ago two Belgian
engineers, tie Ssret brothers, while work.
ing In southeastern Spain located a series
Of prehistoric burial p,a"Gs containing*col-
iections Of artF leg used in burial Pr act.ces.
end stone, hronze a. copper household i'm
ple.nents. They eli once started to make
collection of thene articles which we're
especially valuable as they comprised not
only stone implements and pottery. but also
crude objects in bronZe, copper and silver,
showing that they belonged 10 the trensitory
period from tie stone to the metal age.
The collection was sent TO Brussels. where
several large rooms OF the Royal Museum
Of Decorative and Industrial Arts are de-
voted exclusively TO exhibiting these specj-
/
published a work in two volumes. in oae
volume was a description Of the colieS ton,
while the other was devoted to plates show
ing the most interesting spe ,imeas. An
edition dc luxe was brought OFT at cost
! Of 500 SET anC 1nly. ten sets were printed.
| Yale has Just pL released the last set. and IL
was received at the college library this
week.
| Through the Efforts of Dr. MaeCurdy, who
visited the Brussels museum two years ago
to see tho collection, the. Yale Peabody
| Museum has been presented with portion
| sells museum The VI collection comprises
| 107 specimens. filling ten large boxes and
Including various prehistoric ouriosities,
! ranging from a child's finger ring to burial
urn big enough to accommodate good
| sized man.
Many OF the articles Of wearing apparel.
! like the necklaces and rings, were taken
from skeletons that had been buried thou
| sands OF wears as il Is estimated thEt these
Implements of household use date back
| 10 an age apr roximately 1900 years before
| christ Among the most curious Ct the
! specimens are the early silver rings and
bracelets, of which Yale University has some
very excellent specimens,
| The rings are thoroughly ox;d:zed but
| show the Crlldeness with which they were
! hammered out Of the metal There are
rings for small children and for adults end
| several brackets that were worn by women
who possessed snlgll wrists - -
Then there are similar ornaments made
I of copper. Strings @ofJ beads seemed TO
have been as much in fashion at hat early
date as now, judging from the curious kinds
OF shells, bones and stones strung together
and varying In size and form. ~ No
There ara smaller strings OF similar beads
! made evidently for bracelets and showing
ingenuity in combinations OF the stone and
shell as well as the bone. Besides the Or
naments made from shells are large num-
bers of curiously shaped shells adapted to
no evident USE. f.@'1 -
The pottery collection is not the least in
teresting feature OF the whole Inc tuneral
vases vary ia size, shape and general style.
The large burial urn, which is one OF the
most valuable specimens of the kind In the
world, was broken in transportation, but
Yale scientists expect 10 be able to patch
| it UP 80 that it will make presentable
exhibit 1t is about an inch thick and 1t is
capable OF holding man doubled up, Other
epecmens Of the pottery include a score
OF different designs, all somew hat similar in
texture and shape.
have been preserved through Thousands
OF wears and which have in some instances
turned almost black with age have not been
examined critically by the experts here,
but several varieties resemble ordinary
wheat ard oats.
Among the copper and bronze household
| implements which show the progress OF
| those DAYS from the early stone utensils
are the hatchets and hammer, Of which
| there are dozen different varieties. Thess
are especially valuable, az 1t is very hard,
| according to experts, to secure specimens
OF the early work in bronze and copper In
Europe now. =,
The Yale officials will not be able to put
| tho collection upon public exhibition Tor
| some time, as the different specimens have
| to be catalogued and described.
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