308 THE AKYAN QUESTION vi 



ology, Nilsson showed that, in the interments of 

 the middle age, bronze largely took the place of 

 stone, and that, only in the latest, was iron sub- 

 stituted for bronze. Thus arose the generalisation 

 of the occurrence of a regular succession of stages 

 of culture, which were somewhat unfortunately 

 denominated the " ages " of stone, bronze, and 

 iron. For a long time after this order of succession 

 in the same locality (which, it was sometimes 

 forgotten, has nothing to do with chronological 

 contemporaneity in different localities) was made 

 out, the change from stone to bronze was ascribed 

 to foreign, and, of course, Eastern influences. 

 There were the ubiquitous Phoenician traders and 

 the immigrant Aryans from the Hindoo -Koosh, 

 ready to hand. But further investigation has 

 proved l for various parts of Europe and made it 

 probable for others, that though the old order of 

 succession is correct it is incomplete, and that a 

 copper stage must be interpolated between the 

 neolithic and the bronze stages. Bronze is an 

 artificial product, the formation of which implies 

 a knowledge of copper ; and it is certain that 

 copper was, at a very early period, smelted out of 

 the native ores, by the people of central Europe 

 who used it. When thev learned that the hard- 



i Proved " is perhaps too strong a word. But the evidence 

 set forth by Dr. Much (Die Kupferzeit in Europa, 1886) in 

 favour of a copper stage of culture among the inhabitants of the 

 pile-dwellings is Very weighty. 



