40 Revieics — The Bateman Collection in the Sheffield Museum. 



frequently found in barrows, as also personal ornaments in the 

 shape of necklaces, glass beads, buttons, bronze and bone pins. 

 Numerous examples of these finds are recorded, amongst them being 

 some pieces of red ochre, the rouge of that period, used for decorating 

 the body. Although the use of iron was then unknown, pieces of 

 rubbed and polished iron-ore have been found in barrows, as if they 

 had some special significance as charms. 



" Stone and bronze weapons are sometimes found in the same 

 grave, the two materials evidently being used at the same period, 

 probably this marking the time when bronze first came into use 

 and before it had been generally adopted. A leaf-shaped dagger is 

 the principal bronze weapon found in a grave, bronze implements 

 being much less numerous than those of stone. The pins in bronze 

 and bone and the buttons in Kimmeridge Coal show that some 

 form of dress was worn which these were intended to fasten." (p. ix.) 



Mr. Howarth draws the following conclusions : — " It would appear 

 from the teachings of the tombs of the ancient Britons that they 

 were in a serai-savage state, without any fixed religion, with the 

 sagacity to make tools, vessels, weapons, and implements for daily 

 use. That the use of stone only gradually gave place to the use of 

 bronze from an acquired knowledge of the properties of the ores 

 of copper, tin, zinc, and lead. While no special differentiation 

 of purpose is shown in their manufactures, yet they indicated 

 a separation of certain objects for distinct uses. Clothing was worn 

 amongst them, consisting of skins and probably manufactured stuffs, 

 such as jute and flax. They cultivated the soil to a certain extent, 

 and had domestic animals for labour and sustenance. While 

 believing in a future state, their ideas of religion were of a very 

 vague character, and they still practised certain barbarous rites 

 which belong only to savages. The period which is covered by the 

 history of Celtic barrows probably extends over many hundreds of 

 years, and they show the advance the people had made during that 

 time, ranging through the later or neolithic stone-period to the 

 opening of the age of bronze, the people of the PalsBolithic period 

 being much more ancient than the architects of these barrows, and 

 of a much more primitive type." (p. xviii.) 



Space does not permit us to give a fuller notice of this very 

 excellent and well-illustrated Catalogue and Guide to one of the 

 most valuable collections of its kind to be seen in any museum in 

 this country. We venture to suggest to the author that the very 

 beautiful necklaces, said to be of ' Kimmeridge Coal,' figured on 

 p. 59 (J. 93, 431, G. 79), p. Gl (J. 93, 434, G. 113), and p. 63 

 (G. 158), were really originally made of jet from Whitby, which, 

 owing to damp, etc., have lost their pristine lustre and become decom- 

 posed by age and long interment in the earth, until they resemble 

 Kimmeridge Coal or ' Brown-coal ' in aspect. We compliment 

 Mr. Howarth upon the production of this excellent Catalogue of the 

 Bateman Collection, and the Committee of the Sheffield Museum in 

 authorizing the publication with such ample illustrations. The 

 Collection itself is well worthy of a pilgrimage to Sheffield, nor is it 

 the only one to be seen in this admirable Museum. 



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