2 3 o ARCHAEOLOGICAL EVIDENCE 



commonly in the later prehistoric Italian work. The 

 northern style seen in the silver work of Scandinavia is 

 a main element in the Dacian work, which also partakes 

 of Persian and Central Asian motives. A good instance 

 of this is the celebrated ' Treasure of Petroassa '. The 

 Greek style gave the great impetus to Indian work, and 

 shows materially the Greek civilization of the Bactrian 

 kingdom whose coins slowly filter down from pure Greek 

 to pure Indian designs and inscriptions. And the Greek 

 influences on Europe in the Middle Ages and down to 

 our own times are ceaseless and all-pervading. 



The history of artistic influence is an immense subject 

 still awaiting study and classification ; but it will be 

 seen to form an important part of the material history of 

 man. We may perhaps sum up by saying that material 

 history is the only trace left of far the greater part of 

 man's development and duration : it is quite on a par 

 with written history in ages where both are preserved, so 

 far as the whole of a people are studied as a community : 

 and the only peculiar province of written history is in 

 dealing with individual character and influence. In the 

 socialist view of history the material history is far more 

 important than the written record as a whole ; in the 

 individualist view the written record is unapproachable, 

 as dealing with the influences of the exceptional minds 

 which advance the frontier of ideas. Each has its fit 

 place, and each is entirely powerless in the special region 

 of the other means of research. The whole past of man 

 during hundreds of thousands of years, down to the little 

 clear fringe bordering on our own times, is entirely the 

 province of material history ; and even down to our own 

 age it shares with written history that power of inter- 

 preting human action and change which is perhaps the 

 most fascinating study that can engage our minds. 



