284 TBE STORY OF THE EARTH AND MAIS. 



pre-historio monuments are of uncertain date. In 

 other countries, as in Western Asia and Egypt^ 

 where the historic record extends very far back, the 

 geology is less perfectly known. At the present 

 moment, therefore, the main battle-field of these 

 controversies is in Western Europe, where, though 

 history scarce extends farther back than the time of 

 the Roman Republic, the geologic record is very 

 complete, and has been explored with some thorough- 

 ness. It is obvious, however, that we thus have to 

 face the question at a point where the pre-historic 

 gap is necessarily very wide. 



Taking England as an example, all before the 

 Roman invasion is pre-historic, aud with regard to 

 this pre-historic period the evidence that we can 

 obtain is chiefly of a geological character. The pre- 

 historic men are essentially fossils. We know of 

 them merely what can be learned from their bones 

 and implements embedded in the soil or in the 

 earth of the caverns in which some of them shel- 

 tered themselves. For the origin and date of these 

 deposits the antiquary must go to the geologist, 

 and he imitates the geologist in arranging his 

 human fossils under such names as the '^ Palaeo- 

 lithic,'' or period of rude stone implements ; the 

 " Neolithic," or period of polished stone implements; 

 the Bronze Period, and the Iron Period; though 

 inasmuch as higher and lower states of the arts 

 seem always to have coexisted, and the time in- 

 volved is comparatively short, ^Aaese periods are of 



