130 INTRODUCTION. 



France. A population, perhaps not homogeneous, was conquered 

 by Rome, and so far brought under the influence of that power, 

 that not only the political organization of the country became 

 Roman, but the ancient language of the people was changed 

 into that of the conquerors. Afterwards a large part of Gaul 

 was overrun by, and brought into subjection to, the Franks. 

 But at present, though the language of the Roman has 

 remained and, to some extent modified, is now that of France, 

 yet the old stock has again asserted its supremacy, and the 

 modern Frenchman is, in the main, as much a Gaul, in form, 

 feature and character, as he was when Rome first set foot in 

 the land. Yet if we were to judge by the sepulchral remains 

 of large districts of France, we might suppose that in the 

 seventh and succeeding centuries there were scarcely any 

 inhabitants except those of Frankish origin. 



The whole question discussed above is, however, not only a 

 very interesting but also a very difficult one, and we must, I 

 think, be content to wait until we possess more full and accurate 

 information before we can attempt anything more than a 

 tentative solution of it. 



The last question to be considered, and it is a very important 

 one, is the date of the round barrows. It is, of course, 

 impossible to attribute to them any but an approximate date ; 

 and even then, the evidence is wanting which would enable us 

 to say more than that the period during which burying in 

 them was practised is earlier than another period, itself to 

 some extent an uncertain one. If we can find an era, whose 

 place in the chronology of Britain may be regarded as more 

 or less fixed, we have a starting-point from which to proceed. 

 The time of the introduction of iron appears to afford such an 

 era. The use of this metal was known in Britain at the time 

 of Julius Caesar's invasion of the country, in the year B.C. 55 ; 

 and its introduction may be placed, with some degree of 

 confidence, as dating from about two or three centuries before 

 the birth of Christ. The use of bronze for weapons and 

 implements, which preceded this time, must have lasted over a 

 lengthened period, for it is not possible to account for the large 

 numbers of articles of that metal which have been found 

 throughout the country, and the high perfection in manufacturing 

 it which had been attained, upon any other supposition. If 

 700 years is allowed as the time during which bronze was the 



