638 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. IV. No. 96. 



Munro denied its existence and regarded the 

 copper implements as ' starved ' bronze, 

 owing to a temporary scarcity of tin. Prof. 

 Flinders Petrie placed the first employment 

 of copper tools in the Mediterranean basin 

 at from 3,500 to 3,000 B. C. Dr. Montelius 

 referred to the early copper implements of 

 north and central Italy having the same 

 form as the antecedent stone types, and Dr. 

 J. H. Gladstone presented a series of anal- 

 yses of implements which demonstrated a 

 transition from pure copper, through copper 

 hardened with sub-oxides of copper and 

 natural alloys of copper with antimony and 

 arsenic to tin bronze. When the latter was 

 hit upon it quickly superseded the others. 

 The great debate on the Mykensean civil- 

 ization was opened in a brilliant, slashing 

 speech by Prof. W. Eidgeway. The dis- 

 covery of Mykensean remains in various 

 parts of the Greek world from Asia Minor 

 and Cyprus to Sicily makes it desirable to 

 re-examine the question of the origin of 

 these remains. It is generally conceded 

 that the choice lies between the Pelasgians 

 and the Achseans. "When Schliemann dis- 

 covered the Mykensean finds, scholars at 

 once rushed to the conclusion that these be- 

 longed to the Achgean culture as sung by 

 Homer. This involves many difficulties : 

 (1) the age of Mykense is that of bronze, 

 that of Homer's Achseans is distinctly of 

 iron ; (2) engraved gems are characteristic 

 of Mykense, but such engraved gems, used 

 either as signets or as ornaments, are un- 

 known to Homer; (3) No fibulae have been 

 found in the Acropolis of Mykense, but 

 Homer's Achaean s used them to keep on their 

 dress ; (4) the Mykenseans had a peculiar 

 shield, like the figure 8, they had no breast- 

 plate, no greaves of metal, and wore their 

 hair in three locks behind ; whilst the 

 Achseans had round shields, bronze breast- 

 plates and greaves, and wore their hair 

 flowing. To obviate such difficulties 

 Eeichel, followed by Leaf, would make 



wholesale excision of passages from the 

 Homeric poems. The Greeks themselves 

 thought that Mykense and Tiryus were 

 built before the Achseans entered Pelopon- 

 nese, and by the Pelasgians. The Greek his- 

 torians declared that Attica was never in- 

 habited by any other race than the Pelas- 

 gians, and Mykensean remains have been 

 found in abundance in Attica. The My- 

 kensean culture is that of the Bronze age 

 and Pelasgian in origin. It was supplanted 

 by the Iron age which was introduced by the 

 Achseans into Greece. Prof. Petrie offered 

 as an additional argument the continuity in 

 Attica of artistic preeminence from Myken- 

 sean times to the highest period of Greek 

 art. Dr. Beddoe adduced craniological 

 evidence in support of the Pelasgian origin 

 of some of the most noted Greeks. Va- 

 rious speakers continued the discussion, 

 some of whom combatted Prof. Eidgeway's 

 conclusions, but the general impression was 

 that he had established his main conten- 

 tions, and he maintained that he was justi- 

 fied in laying stress on traditional history 

 as this was so largely supported by archaeo- 

 logical finds. The physical characters and 

 migrations of the Mediterranean race ac- 

 cording to Sergi were laid before the meet- 

 ing by Mr. Myres. 



The chronology of the Bronze Age in 

 northern and central Italy formed the sub- 

 ject of a learned and beautifully illustrated 

 paper by Dr. Montelius, the renowned 

 Swedish archaeologist. He distinguished 

 four divisions of the Bronze Age dating 

 from 2100 to 1100 B. C. ; and in central 

 Italy two Protetruscan Periods from 1100 

 to 900 B. C, and two Etruscan Periods from 

 900 to 700 B. C. Associated with this 

 group of subjects was an erudite paper by 

 Mr. J. L. Myres on Cypress and the trade 

 routes of southeast Europe. 



The starting-point of the Iron Age in 

 Europe, formed the subject of a communica- 

 tion by Prof. Eidgeway. He stated that 



