CHAPTER IX. 



THE BRONZE AGE. 



Abundance of gold Stone occasionally used for arrow-heads Pottery 

 <i raves Commencement of cremation Objects of this period Profi- 

 ciency in the art of casting Weapons Ornaments more varied than in 

 the stone age The Kivik grave 0;ik coffins Clothing of the bronze 

 age Sewing implements Burnt and unbumt bodies sometimes found 

 in the same grave Gold vessels and ornaments Bronze vessels- Battle- 

 horns Bronze knives. 



WHILE the three ages to SOUK.- extent overlap, while we find 

 stone articles running into the bronze age, and bronze and 

 even stone into the iron age, still the distinction between the 

 three periods is too clearly marked to be overlooked. Thus 

 in the bronze age, characterised by the use of that metal and 

 of gold, the weapons were almost entirely of bronze ; amber 

 still continued to be used for ornaments, and towards the close 

 of this epoch glass, in the shape of beads, and iron appeared, 

 but silver seems to have been unknown. Sometimes stone 

 continued to be used for arrow-heads and spear- points. 



The pottery shows a distinct improvement on that of the 

 stone age. 



The graves of the bronze age, as in the preceding stone 

 age, are covered by a mound of earth, or a cairn, and contain 

 several burial places. During the latter part of the bronze 

 age the custom of burning the dead was introduced, but 

 in the earlier part the bodies were unburnt. When the 

 custom of cremation commenced and how long it lasted 

 it is utterly impossible to tell, but from the numerous finds 

 it is evident that it must have been in use long before iron 

 became known. The graves of this period also generally 

 lie on the top of some high hill, or the cairns are placed 

 on the summit of some promontory having an unobstructed 

 view of the sea or some large sheet of water. These graves 



