SIK JOHN EVANS — TEE BRONZE AGE. O 



projecting wings, sometimes with and sometimes without a side- 

 loop (see rigs. 3 and 4); and histly, one furnished with a socket 

 for the reception of the haft and with a loop at the side, is 

 known as a socketed celt. One of these is shown in Fig. 5. 

 The general purpose for which they were used seems to have 

 been that of an ordinary axe or hatchet They are found in 

 several stages, from a large size, evidently that of the original 

 casting, down to a much smaller size, when they had been worn 

 down by use, and by grinding, and possibly repaired after portions 

 had been broken off. These implements are found over the whole 

 of Europe. They also occur, though rarely, in Asia, and I have 

 seen specimens from China and Yun-nan. The earliest celts are 

 nearly flat and plain at the sides, and were no doubt modelled 

 from those in stone. Here is a stone hatchet from Denmark and 

 a bronze hatchet from Cyprus. As regards the face and sides they 

 are almost identical in form, and the probability is that that of 

 metal was brought in as a substitute for that of stone. 



At this point it may be well to consider the probable origin of 

 copper implements. Copper, found in its native state, can be 

 hammered into shape. We can understand a savage regarding 

 a lump of native copper as a stone, trying to chip it into shape, 

 and finding that by blows of his stone hammer he could shape it. 

 As a perfect illustration of this, we find in America and Canada 

 tools and weapons, hammered by means of stone hammers out of 

 native copper, which have reached the required shape probably 

 without the intervention of fire. Frequently European celts were 

 ornamented on the face with very delicate hammered markings, 

 giving them in some cases a surface having the appearance of 

 Morocco leather. The earlier forms were mounted by being 

 inserted in a wooden club, but it was found that they acted 

 as wedges and tended to split the handle, so a stop-ridge was 

 introduced ; and at last they reached the palstave form, with a 

 strong cross-ridge, which absolutely prevented their being driven 

 in further than was intended. The sides were sometimes drawn 

 out by hammeiing, thus forming flanged celts, and in some cases 

 the flanges themselves were bent over. 



The next form after the flanged celt was the palstave. The 

 term is Scandinavian in origin, a kind of hoe somewhat similar to 

 these bronze implements, called a paalstab, being still in use in 

 Iceland. The word paalstab is derived from pcBli to dig, " pall " 

 (like the French 2}ctte and Latin pala) meaning a kind of spade. 

 The same word still survives in England in " peel," the kind of 

 wooden shovel used by bakers for putting the loaves into the oven. 

 " Stab" is equivalent to our staff. The word paalstab occurs in 

 the Sagas, and is applied to one of the weapons used for battering 

 the shields of the enemy. The flanges were gradually hammered 

 over more and more till they formed a kind of socket on either side 

 of the blade, and at last some clever founder discovered a way of 

 casting one with a single socket, and thus produced the socketed celt, 

 the latest form. We find the flanges of the palstave still surviving 



