44 



OEiaiKAIi ABTICLES. 



antiquity of these localities. Possibly indeed we may consider tlie 

 presence of these larger species as an indication of their greater abun- 

 dance in the oldest period ; but we must not forget that not only the 

 Bear and the Elk, but also the Aurochs and Urus come down to a much 

 later period. On the other hand, the abundance of wUd animals, and 

 the fact tliat at Moosseedorf and Wauwyl the Fox was more abundant 

 than the Dog, while elsewhere the reverse is the case, certainly speaks 

 in favour of the greater antiquity of these two settlements. 



The evidence derived from the distribution of the domestic animals 

 is perhaps more satisfactory. The Sheep is present even at Moossee- 

 dorf, though not so numerous as at the Steinberg. On the other 

 hand, the Horse is frequent at the Steinberg, while at Moosseedorf 

 only a single tooth was discovered, and even this had been worn as 

 an amulet or an ornament, and may have been brought from a distance. 

 Finally, the domestic Hog of the present race is absent from all the 

 Pileworks of the Stone period, excepting perhaps the one at "W^.u- 

 wyl, and becomes frequent only at the Steinberg. 



If succeeding investigations confirm the conclusions thus indicated, 

 we may perhaps conclude that the domestic animals, which were com- 

 paratively rare in the Stone period, became more frequent after the 

 introduction of bronze, a change indicating and perhaps producing an 

 alteration of habits on the part of the inhabitants. 



Eare, indeed, as they may have been, Oxen, Horses, Sheep, and 

 Groats could not be successfully kept through the winter in the cli- 

 mate of Switzerland, without stores of provisions and some sort of 

 shelter. A pastoral people, therefore, must have reached a higher grade 

 than a mere nation of hunters. We know, moreover, in another man- 

 ner, that at this period agriculture was not entirely imknown. Thia 

 is proved in the most unexpected manner, by the discovery of car- 

 bonised Cereals at various points. Wheat is most common, ha\'ing 

 been found at Meilen, Moosseedorf, and Wangen. At the latter place, 

 indeed, many bushels were found, the grains being united in large 

 thick lumps. At other times the grains are free, and without chalF, 

 resembling our present wheat in size and form, while more rarely 

 they are still in the ear. Ears of the Hordeum hexastichon L. (the 

 six rowed Barley) are somewhat numerous. This species differs from 

 the H. vulgare L. in the number of rows and in the smaller size 

 of the grains. According to De CandoUe, it was the species gene- 

 rally cultivated by the ancient Eomans, Grreeks, and Egyptians. In 

 the ears from Wangen, each row has generally ten or eleven grains, 

 which however are smaller and shorter than those now grown. 



StiU more unexpected was the discovery of bread, or rather cakes, 

 for leaven does not appear to have been used. They were flat and 

 round, from an inch to 15 lines in thickness, and, to judge from one 

 specimen, had a diameter of four or five inches. In other cases the 

 grains seem to have been roasted, coarsely ground between stones, 

 and then either stored up in large earthenware pots, or eaten after 

 being slightly moistened. A similar mode of preparing grain was 

 used in the Canary Islands at the time they were conquered by Spain, 



