TIII-: JIH>\ A<;i: 



vast number of \vea,pons of various kinds testify equally with 

 the records to the warlike character of the people. The finish 

 of the weapons of the later stone age is something wondertuJ, 

 many of them are as polished as glass ; the weapons of bronze 

 are equally remarkable. 



In the beginning of the iron age appear the shears, which are 

 verv similar to those now in use. Clothes during this period 

 were generally kept together by pins and buckles, which have 

 been found in great numbers ; horns were used as drinking 

 cups, and domestic vessels of glass, bronze, silver, gold, wood, 

 or burnt clay, and objects of Roman manufacture, dice, checkers 

 or draughtsmen, and chessmen, have also been unearthed. 



At a very early period of this age remains of brynjas, or 

 coats of ring armour, have been found in graves where burning 

 of the dead has taken place ; this shows that they were known 

 in the North even in the beginning of the Christian era, if 

 not before ; they are also met with in graves of a later period 

 and in the bog finds of the third and fourth century. 



Alono- ^ith iron the people became also acquainted with 

 silver, lead, glass, &e., and knew the art of soldering and 

 o-ilding metals. The jewels and ornaments in their design 

 and workmanship show a considerable advance in taste. 



At what time the use of iron began to be known among 

 the people and when it superseded bronze is impossible to 

 tell : the change must have taken place a long time before 

 the ships of the Suiones were described by Tacitus, a won- 

 derful example of the accuracy of whose description is found 

 in the Nydam boat of which I will speak hereafter. Iron is 

 very abundant in Sweden and Norway, and bog iron was no 

 doubt plentiful in the islands of the Baltic ; the use of the 

 latter is proved by masses of slag, weapons, &c. found in the 

 earliest graves of the iron age. The use of the bronze of 

 the preceding period continued, and many objects of bronze 

 are evidently of home manufacture. 



The earliest graves 1 belonging to this iron age in the North 



1 Mixed finds precede the advent of I age, are found with those of iron, 



each age. Stone implements or weapons i Examples of such arc a grave at Ston- 



are found together with those of bronze, holt, Viborg Amt, containing pearl of 



and later bronze implements, which are glass mosaic, with bronze poniard ; grave 



the i\uvrimners of the approaching iron at Alstrup, Aalborg Amt, containing iron 



