328 



several historical events connected with the invasion of Ire- 

 land by the Danes. 



Mr. Worsaae commenced by observing, that all the anti- 

 quities found in Ireland, as well as in other countries, are to 

 be divided into two large classes. Those of the first are of 

 the greater importance, being all of a time in reference to 

 which we have no historical records. The monuments of the 

 second class, belonging to a later period, could not give infor- 

 mation of so much value, because we have from written re- 

 cords a certain degree of knowledge as to the civilization of 

 the time ; but it is a remarkable fact, that the antiquities of 

 the second class were, until lately, regarded with the greatest 

 interest, because of the prevailing inclination to combine the 

 study of antiquities with that of written records. It was long 

 before archaeologists could bring themselves to relinquish that 

 mode of research, and come back to a critical examination of 

 the monuments, without being influenced by written records ; 

 but the time seems at length to have arrived, when it has 

 become possible to enter upon an entirely new inquiry into 

 the history of the earliest state of the European nations, by 

 means of the antiquities alone. 



§ 1. The Stone Period. 



With regard to the existing collections of different kinds 

 of stone implements, found in nearly all parts of Europe, it 

 is interesting to compare those implements with the stone 

 hatchets, knives, &c., found in America and Africa, and still 

 used by the natives of the South Sea islands. Such a compa- 

 rison indicates that they have been used by tribes which sub- 

 sisted by fishing and hunting ; and the striking resemblance 

 of the forms is a direct proof that different people, in the 

 same uncivilized state, use weapons and implements of ex- 

 actly the same description for kilHng animals and build- 

 ing houses. It is well known that a great number of stone 

 hatchets, ^rrow-heads, and lance-heads, have been found in Ire- 



