Manchester Memoirs, Vol. Ix. (191 5), No. 1. 25 



into operation in the Far West and the East. In the 

 latter cases the new knowledge was carried abroad as part 

 of a definite culture, which was built up by an artificial 

 combination of practices within the area of the Eastern 

 Mediterranean. The argument here deals essentially with 

 the regions beyond its limits. The apparently contra- 

 dictory state of affairs in Northern Italy and Switzer- 

 land — the absence of megalithic monuments which are 

 invariably associated with ancient mines further west — 

 is due, no doubt, to the fact that the circumstances under 

 which elements of culture ultimately derived from Egypt 

 were introduced there differed essentially from those 

 which obtained in the west. They probably came into 

 operation earlier and more indirectly. 



All the evidence put forward here enables us to reach 

 a generalisation which must have already become obvious. 

 In all the cases quoted some very good reason can be 

 assigned for the presence of the carriers of the megalithic 

 culture in any given place — gold, pearls, tin, and so forth 

 are known positively to have determined their presence 

 in certain localities : all this is well known. But now we 

 can sum the matter up quite simply. 



The cause of the distribution of the megalithic culture 

 beyond the area of the Eastern Mediterranean was the 

 search for certain forms of material wealth. 



Gold, tin, copper, pearls, precious stones, and so forth 

 were eagerly sought after, and where they were discovered, 

 there the megalithic influence soon made itself felt. 



The search for wealth is the underlying factor in the 

 distribution, and it seems to provide the motive for the 

 wide-spread travellings of these people. To the Baltic 

 they went for amber, to France for gold and tin, to 

 Spain for many metals, to West Africa for gold and other 

 things : these are some of their wanderings. But the 



