LUBBOCK ON TIIK k.lo i, k i \ \w , : , i m -. 491 



Appear less surprising when we consider that, in more modern timet, 

 coins were struck in tin* South of England before the commence- 

 ment of our era, while in Ireland none were made before the tenth 

 century, so that London has had a coinage for move than fcwic 

 kmg as Dublin. For the present however 1 confine myself to Den- 

 mark, reserving the consideration of other countries for a future 

 opportunity. 



Two or three battle fields belonging to the Bronze period have 

 been found, and have supplied a great number of interesting objects. 

 It is curious, that besides dice of the common shape, some have been 

 discovered which are elongated and cylindrical, a peculiar farm which 

 is slid however used in some parts ol* India. Many of the spears had 

 one or more nails driven into them, in a manner apparently use- 

 less, but Professor Thomsen observed the same thing in some 

 Bpears from India, and ascertained that, in these, a nail was inserted 

 lor every enemy killed. Metal was, however, rare and precious, and 

 therefore only used in instruments which could not easily be made 

 from Hint. The beautiful flint knives of the Stone period must 

 have been extremely difficult to make. "VVe cannot imitate them 

 now, and even in those days, when they had such wonderful skill 

 in workiug flint, a flint knife must have been made with great diffi- 

 culty. Axes, on the contrary, were easily formed, and therefore stone 

 was used for them long after the introduction of bronze, as is 

 shown by the fact that while in the Museum at Copenhagen thero 

 are about 300 bronze swords, there are not more than 20 bronze 

 axes. The arrow heads also were made of flint. 



A confusion is sometimes made between the bronze of the true 

 Bronze age, and that which is found together with iron. The former, 

 however, is composed of about 9 parts of copper to 1 of tin, while in 

 the bronze, or rather brass, of the Iron period, the tin is generally 

 replaced by zinc, and the composition thus obtained is n cd only for 

 ornaments ; and though sometimes, as for instance in the umbos of 

 the shields, it may form part of a weapon, it is never the cutting or 

 striking edge, which is always formed of iron. 



The number of objects belonging to the Bronze age, which havo 

 been found in Denmark is very remarkable, and together with the 

 great differences apparent in the workmanship, indicate that the 

 period was of great duration. The same appears to have been the 

 case in Ireland, as in the great museum of the Eoyal Irish Academy 

 there are six hundred and eighty-six of these weapons, and yet no two 

 of them* were cast in the same mould. 



Some of them are merely repetitions, in bronze, of the older 

 stone weapons, as may very well be seen, for instance, in the 

 British Museum; but, at what was perhaps a later period; the 

 art had wonderfully improved, and the bronze instruments are more 

 varied in form and more ski lfully made. That they were cast, and 



Wilde's Catalogue, p. 393. 



