Mat 18, 1D06.] 



SCIENCE. 



779 



mum submergence are 70 meters above the 

 present beaches. To the south, it grew less 

 and less, reaching the zero curve at Nis- 

 sumfjord, Jutland, and Falster in Laaland. 

 The submergence to the north of Christiania 

 also decreased gradually till it reached the 

 vanishing point in the region of Mjosen Lake. 

 This regional submergence is considered as 

 but an interruption in the general elevation 

 of the land. 



The synchronism of the curves representing 

 the maximum of submergence is determined 

 through a study of the fauna in the correspond- 

 ing shell heaps (with Tapes decussatus, etc.). 



The period between the maximum postgla- 

 cial submergence (Littorina-Tapes-Sffinkning) 

 and the time when the beaches at Christiania 

 were from 45 to 48 meters higher than at 

 present is called the earlier Tapes period. It 

 corresponds to the latter part of the ' Atlantic 

 period ' of Blytt, Sernander, et al. The period 

 during which the elevation of the beaches 

 dropped from 45 meters to 19-21 meters at 

 Christiania (from 30 meters to 13-15 at the 

 mouth of Christiania fjord) is called the mid- 

 dle Tapes period. The climate of this period 

 was colder than that of the preceding; perhaps 

 colder, also, than during the following period. 

 The last of the Isocardia clays belong to the 

 middle Tapes period. 



The later Tapes period corresponds to a 

 beach elevation of from 19 meters to 8 or 10 

 meters above the present Christiania beaches 

 (13 meters to 4 or 5 meters at the mouth of 

 the fjord). The climate was comparatively 

 mild, the shell heaps being characterized by 

 a number of southern forms no longer to be 

 found in the fjord. The Serobicularia clay 

 deposits belong to this epoch. 



The recent period goes back to a time when 

 the beach line at Christiania was 8 meters 

 higher than it is now. Only after the eleva- 

 tion was complete did the climate become 

 what it now is and the bivalve Mya arenaria, 

 make its appearance in the waters of Chris- 

 tiania fjord. 



The remainder of the work deals with the 

 relation of archeological finds to the various 

 beach levels. The archeological classification 



corresponds in the main to Miiller's classifica- 

 tion for Denmark. Miiller's time scale, how- 

 ever, is somewhat shorter than Br0gger's. 



It was long ago observed that the kitchen 

 middens of northern Denmark are well above 

 the present beach lines. They contain the 

 oldest stone industry to be found in Denmark, 

 viz., flint flakes and paring knives (Skive- 

 spalter). But in southern Norway, where 

 flint is scarce, other stone was employed dur- 

 ing this early period to produce the so-called 

 Nfistvet industry. Br0gger's researches have 

 established the fact that this old industry 

 occurs at a level corresponding to that of the 

 raised beaches marking the maximum post- 

 glacial submergence. It is nowhere found 

 below that level and is, therefore, contem- 

 poraneous with the early Tapes period. The 

 N^stvet industry is, on the other hand, rarely 

 found much above the level of the highest 

 raised beaches. The population must, there- 

 fore, have been a coast population, deriving 

 its sustenance largely from the sea. 



The axe with pointed pole never occurs at 

 a lower level than that of the beach line mark- 

 ing the close of the early Tapes period. It is 

 a transition form connecting the first northern 

 stone epoch with the second, the latter being 

 the epoch of polished stone axes. The early 

 part of the second stone epoch was character- 

 ized by a variety of the axe with pointed pole; 

 the latter part, by a flat-poled axe. During 

 this epoch the habits of the people changed. 

 They were engaged largely in the domestica- 

 tion of animals and in agricultural pursuits. 

 The minimum level of occurrence of this in- 

 dustry is, then, no longer the dominant one. 

 But there is sufficient evidence to prove that, 

 at the close of the second stone epoch, the 

 beaches at Christiania were from 23 to 26 

 meters above the present beach level. 



The third epoch of the stone age is charac- 

 terized by the thick-poled axe. These are 

 found in Serobicularia clay deposits as well as 

 in graves. The position of some of these 

 graves is such as to lead to the conclusion 

 that, when they were built, the beach line at 

 Christiania was not more than 13-15 meters 

 higher than it is now. 



