KAU] NILSSON'S THEOEY— VIEWS OF OTHEE AUTHOES. 75 



pies erected by the Phoenicians, and dedicated to the worship of ,the sun- 

 god. 



Nilsson's Phcenician theory has been discussed at great length, and in 

 a scholarly manner, by Professor Simpson, who is very far from sharing 

 his views, and is even inclined to attribute a Cimhrlan rather than a Phoeui- 

 cian origin to the Kivik sculptures, to which the Swedish archaeologist so 

 often refers in his argumentation.* In more recent writings relating to the 

 introduction of bronze in Europe I have not met with allusions to Pro- 

 fessor Nilsson's theory, which thus appears to have been abandoned at the 

 present time.f Yet, though the author has failed to convince his fellow- 

 laborers in the field of archaeology of the correctness of his views, his work, 

 nevertheless, possesses uncommon merit, on account of the vast amount of 

 research embodied in it, and Miss Mestorf deserves great credit for having 

 translated it into German — a language more generally understood than 

 the Swedish of the original. 



As a consequence of the foregoing, it would appear that the Swedish 

 cupped stones were not sacrificial altars serving in the worship of a Phoenician 

 deity; and grave doubts have been expressed by prominent authorities 

 whether cujiped boulders were at all used as altars, considering that the 

 cups often occur on perpendicular or strongly-inclined surfaces, and thus 

 could not have served as the receptacles of liquid substances. 



In addition to the altar theory, cup and ring-cuttings have, as may be 

 imagined, given rise to a variety of speculations as to the purpose for which 

 they were made. Some of these views, recorded and commented on in 

 Professor Simpson's work, may be presented in this place. 



The Eev. Mr. Greenwell, Sir Gardner Wilkinson, Dr. Graves, and 

 others, consider them as ai'chaic maps or plans of old circular camps and 

 cities in their neighborhood, telling possibly of their direction and character. 

 "But I believe," says Simpson, "this idea has now been abandoned as 

 untenable by some, if not by all, of the antiquaries who first suggested it." 



"The carvings," Professor Simpson continues, "have been held by some 

 as intended for dials, the light of the sun marking time upon them — or 



* Simpsou: Archaic Sculjjtures, etc.; p. 81, etc. 



t Views similar to those of Professor Nilssou are expressed by FriSddric de Eougemont iu "L'Ago 

 du Bronze ou les Semites en Occident;" Paris, 1860. 



