60 



CHAPTER III. 



THE -USE OF STONE IN ANCIENT TIMES. 



rE preceding chapters have been devoted to the age 

 of Bronze. We must now revert to still earlier times 

 and ruder races of men ; to a period which, for obvious 

 reasons, is called by archaeologists the Stone age. 



The Stone age, however, if by this we signify merely the 

 ante-metallic period, falls naturally, as has been already 

 stated, into two great divisions. 



First. The period of the drift, which I have proposed to 

 call the Archaeolithic period. 



Secondly. The Neolithic, or later Stone age, which we must 

 now consider, in which the stone implements are more skil- 

 fully made, more varied in form, and often polished. 



The immense number of stone implements which occur, in 

 all parts of the world, is sufficient evidence of the im- 

 portant part they played in ancient times. M. Herbst has 

 favored me with the following interesting statement of the 

 number of stone and bone implements in the Copenhagen 

 Museum : 



Flint axes and wedges 1070 



Broad Chisels 285 



Hollow ditto 270 



Narrow chisels 365 



Hollow ditto 33 



Poniards 250 



Lance-heads ., 656 



