76 OBJECTIONS TO THE PHCENICIA.N THEORY. 



like Baal's prophets of old, to dance round it, shouting and 

 sino-in^ This Midsummer's-nicrht fire has even retained in 



o o o 



some parts the ancient name of " Baldersbal," or Balders- 

 fire. Leopold von Buch long ago suggested that this custom 

 could not have originated in a country where at Midsummer 

 the sun is never lost sight of, and where, consequently, the 

 smoke only, not the fire, is visible. A similar custom also 

 prevailed until lately in some parts of our islands. Baal has 

 given his name to many Scandinavian localities, as, for in- 

 stance, the Baltic, the Great and Little Belt, Belteberga* 

 Baleshaugen, Balestranden, etc. 



The ornamentation characteristic of the Bronze Age is, 

 in the opinion of Professor Nilsson, decidedly Semitic rather 

 than Indo-European. He lays considerable stress on two 

 curious vase-carriages, one found in Sweden and the other 

 in Mecklenburg, which certainly appear to have been very 

 like the "vases" made for Solomon's temple, and described 

 in the first Book of Kings. Finally, he believes that the 

 use of war chariots, the practice of reaping close to the ear, 

 and a certain method of fishing, are all evidences of Phcenician 

 intercourse. 



Professor Nilsson is so great an authority as an archaeo- 

 logist, and his labours have contributed so much to place the 

 science on a sound basis, that his opinions are deserving of 

 the most careful consideration. Nor can they fairly be judged 

 by the very short abstract which has been given above, as 

 many of his arguments must be followed in detail before 

 they can be properly appreciated. That the Phoenicians 

 have left their traces in Norway is, however, in my opinion, 

 all that can fairly be deduced from the facts on which he 

 relies, even if we attribute to them all the significance claimed 

 for them by him. Further evidence is required before it 

 would be safe to connect them with the Bronze Age. As 

 regards the srnallness of the hands, we must remember that 



