A STUDY OF PKEHISTORIC ANTHROPOLOGY. 627 



out any foundation, but foundations had been built where needed. In 

 many cases the smaller end of the stone was downwards. 



Flint implements and chips, and broken pottery are found about and 

 among the alignments as elsewhere over the country, especially around 

 the foot of the menhirs, showing a prehistoric occupation ; but no 

 traces of the use or purposes of the menhirs or alignments have ever 

 been discovered. There have been many theories broached but no 

 facts adduced sufficient to support them. They have been called mili- 

 tary camps or religious or other rendezvous for the people. They may 

 have been tents. Ko trace has been found of their use as burial places, 

 and so far as established by ascertained fact, the popular idea is as 

 near the truth as any other, viz., that they were the columns of a sac- 

 rilegious invading army, turned to stone by the wrath of an offended 

 God. 



SCULPTURINaS. 



Many of these stones or monuments have marks or sculpturings on 

 them. The menhirs of the alignments have cup markings only, and 

 these are rare. In some cases they have been marked in modern times 

 with crosses, made sometimes by religious devotees, sometimes by the 

 priests, done in order to prevent or break up any chance remaining 

 pagan custom of worshipping, revering, or employing these stones. 

 The dolmens are marked with various signs. These might be set out 

 in full but for want of space, though none however have any discovered 

 signification. 



LAKE DWELLINGS. 



Switzerland is the country of lake dwellings, because it abounded in 

 lakes, and the mountains were not inviting dwelling places ; but lake 

 dwellings extended over the adjoining districts of France, Italy, and 

 Germany, were similarly situated, and they have lately been found in 

 Scotland. 



The lake dwellings were, as their name imports, human habitations on 

 the lakes. They were built near the shore, consisted of houses, and 

 possibly other structures, such as shops, barns, stables, granaries, 

 erected on piles placed in the lake bottom, and which, standing above 

 the surface of th"e water, were cut to a general level and then floored 

 over for the entire settlement. The houses were connected with the 

 mainland by a bridge (probably with a draw), the piles of which it was 

 constructed being often found. 



There have been differences of opinion as to the houses. Keller sup- 

 posed them to have been square or a parallelogram, while Dr. Gross 

 believes them to have been round. They were destroyed before the 

 beginning of history, and practically all that is known of them is de- 

 rived from the discovery of the relics. The water has preserved the 

 piles so that they are frequently visible from the surface, though they 

 are usually decayed to the surface of the earth at the bottom of the 



