22 I'rom Egypt to Ireland. 



of great beauty. Passing from Egypt to pre-historic Greece, 

 he showed several examples from the finds at Mycenae, and 

 traced the influence of Egyptian patterns in pre-historic Greek 

 ornament. Then following the path of the pre-historic trade 

 routes across Europe, he showed a series of slides exhibiting the 

 extension of certain of the pattern forms to the Baltic, and, 

 finally, to Britain and Ireland. The geographical distribution 

 of spiral patterns was most remarkable, and the strict limits 

 within which their extension across Europe was confined showed 

 that it was not due to chance or accident, but the result of 

 trade intercourse — a conclusion supported by other evidence, 

 ft had been usual to assume that continental influence had 

 reached Ireland from Gaul through Britain. Mr. Coffey pointed 

 out that in the narrow seas and islands of the Baltic a civilisation 

 had been developed in bronze age times comparable, though 

 lower in order, to that of the jEgean ; that in early bronze age 

 times Scandinavia had reached a higher civilization than Gaul 

 of the same period, and that to this northern centre of influence 

 was to be attributed important elements in the early culture of 

 Scotland and Ireland, which had come to those countries direct 

 by sea from the north in the bronze age. 



Mr. John Ward, J.P., moved that the best thanks of the 

 meeting be given to Mr. Coffey for his fascinating and delightful 

 paper. He said the lecturer had a way of connecting his 

 information which made his remarks very interesting. As 

 the subject of the lecture tended to fix their attention upon 

 their native land, it was all the more welcome. It seemed 

 a very wonderful thing, as Mr. Coffey had pointed out, that 

 the golden age of Ireland, which, perhaps, might come 

 again, should have been found out by the intercourse with 

 Egypt. It was also rather extraordinary how all the 

 decorative art known to us could be traced as having proceeded 

 from certain simple original types. They had seen from the 

 lecture how the ancient Egyptian types were found in the 

 decorations in the Parthenon at Athens, and later in decorations 

 of the Renaissance period. While in Egypt he had been 



