GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION OF BRONZE WEAPONS. 21 



Finally, Mr. Wright cites an instance of a bronze sword 

 found with some Eoman coins of Maxentius, who reigned 

 from 306 to 312 A.D. This sword was discovered in a turbary 

 at Piquigny, near Abbeville, in a large boat, which it would 

 seem had been sunk, and in which were several skeletons. 

 The reason for referring this bronze sword to the Eoman 

 epoch was the presence in this case, as in the last, of 

 Eornan coins. But it is somewhat remarkable, that the 

 antiquaries who recorded the discovery attributed so little 

 importance to the presence of these coins that they did not 

 in either case take the trouble to specify the exact position 

 which these occupied with reference to the bronze weapons ; 

 in fact they only mention the coins casually, and as it were 

 by an after- thought, in a foot-note. I may be pardoned, then, 

 if I do not myself look upon them as being certainly of the 

 same date as the weapons near which they are said to have 

 been discovered. But even if it be admitted that in these 

 two cases bronze weapons were actually discovered in associa- 

 tion with Eoman coins, and in such a position that the weapons 

 and the coins must certainly have been embedded together, 

 still, when we consider the great abundance of Eoman coins 

 on the one hand, and of bronze weapons on the other, we 

 cannot be surprised that there should be one or two cases in 

 which they have been found associated together. 



Again, the geographical distribution of bronze weapons 

 and implements does not favour such a theory. The Eomans 

 never entered Denmark; it is doubtful whether they ever 

 landed in Ireland ; no Eoman road, masonry, or earthwork 

 has ever been found there. Yet while more than 350 bronze 

 swords have been found in Denmark,* more than 400 in 

 France, and a very large number in Ireland,f the Italian 



* If daggers are included the t TLe Museum at Dublin con- 

 number would reach nearly 1200, tains 282 swords and daggers: the 

 and 480 for Sweden. Chantre, Age number of swords is not stated 

 du Bronze, vol. i. p. 134. separately. 



