90 Proceedinys of the Royal Irish Academy. 



of horn. This has never been published before, and is the only example I 

 know of a hilt of this material. It is very notable, and the Ifoyal Irish 

 Ar-ademy is to be congratulated on having this specimen, which up to the 

 present is unique, in its collection. The form of the hilt is the same as those 

 of cast bronze, and has the same scollcJped shape; it is attached to the blade 

 by three bronze rivets. The pommel of the handle, also of horn, is made in 

 a separate piece, and fixed in with a dowel and two pins made of horn. 



I figure a number of daggers and rapiers in the Academy's collection. 

 Some of these are decorated with incised or raised lines. Several of the figures 

 on Plate VII show a striking similarity to the rapier I am describing. Tliey 

 display the same flattening of the mid-rib at the base ; the arrangement of tlie 

 ornamental lines is very similar, and the workmanship of all is very good. The 

 connexion between the types of dagger-blade and the early Italian daggers is 

 confirmed by the series of small hatched triangles which have been found at 

 the base of two I rish examples, and which are a common feature on the Italian 

 daggers. I have noticed this point in my recent book.' These daggers belong 

 to an earl}' phase of tlie Bronze Age, the long rapiers being assigned to a some- 

 what later period, but it is hard to go further, as the Irish finds are few, and 

 there was probably some overlapping of the different types. The whole subject 

 of tlie direct early connexion of Ireland with the continent is very important 

 from an historical point of view, and we see that the civilization of Ireland 

 in the Bronze Age was much higher than has commonly been assumed, and 

 was spread generally over the country. 



The rapiers belong to the middle and later portion of the Bronze Age. In 

 France, where this type is common, it is classed by M. Dechelette in his 

 Series B., type 2, as " sword with trapezoidile base," and he describes the type 

 as follows : — 



This form is widely spread in the British Islands and the north of France, 

 whence it was introduced into South Germany and the region of the middleEhine. 

 The blade, which narrows considerably from the handle, is sometimes exceedingly 

 slender and very thin. An exceptionally long example found in Ireland measures 

 30i inches in length, and only finch in breadth at the centre Thelirst swords of 

 type 1, Series B iswords with a round base), which surpass in length the triangular 

 daggers, appear at the end of the Age of Bronze II (1900-1600 b.c). Those of 

 type II belong to the Age of Bronze III (1600-1300 b.c). They have been found 

 in the depot of Anzy-le-Duc, Saone et Loire, and in burials of the same period, for 

 example, in the tumulus of Staadorf, Haut Palatinat, a burial of the Age of 

 Bronze III (1600-1300 b.c.).^ 



Dr. Montelius, in his " Chronology of the British Bronze Age," places the 



' "New Grange and other Incised Tumuli in Ireland," p. 11.5. 

 ' Manuel d'Archeologie, vol. ii, p. 208. 



