
678 The American Naturalist. [July, 
which the excavations related were at an earlier period than that 
indicated as having had a knowledge of iron. With our knowledge 
of investigations of Dr. Schliemann one cannot suppose the first excep- 
tion to have existed. The investigations were sufficiently profound, 
sufficiently extensive, to satisfy one that if iron had had an existence at 
that time in that locality, he would have found its evidence; and this 
was evidence or proof, said M. de Morgan, that the inhabitants of 
Hissarlik did not at that time possess knowledge of iron. The other 
conclusion must then prevail, to wit: that the excavations at Hissarlik 
made by Dr. Schliemann pertain to an epoch when iron was not known 
or used by the inhabitants; and by this line of reasoning he demon-* 
strated to his own satisfaction the error of Dr. Schliemann having 
assigned to Hissarlik a period too recent, when it should have been 
more ancient. M. de Morgan said that a study of the mines, whether 
of iron or of copper, and all the excavations in the neighborhood 
with which he was acquainted, confirmed the teachings of history, and 
he thought he had correctly laid it down. In Russian Armenia the 
excavations told the same story. M. de Morgan said he had opened 
more than a thousand sepultures, all of which contained arms of iron, 
which belong or could be divided into two simple groups: one of 
which was anterior to the eight century B. c., the beginning or dura- 
tion of which was as yet unknown, but which might have been very 
much older than the date mentioned; the other was posterior, after 
the grand invasions of the seventh century B c., but before the Persian 
conquest. The age of bronze, said M. de Morgan, if in existence of 
to be found in the Transcaucasie, was of comparatively short duratioh ; 
and therefore, ranging himself upon the side of Dr. Schliemann 
and against Captain Boetticher, he demanded, is it possible that 
the whites of the Ægean sea, who were always moving from one 
place to another, who were eminently the people of migration, of 
_ commerce, of travel,—is it possible for these to have remained without 
knowledge of iron while that knowledge was spread around them upon 
every side? and his response to his own question was that it was not 
possible. His conclusion was, as stated, that if the people of the east 
had knowledge of iron at this epoch, the people of Hissarlik would 
have it the same time, and as the investigations of Schliemann shows 
no object or industry in iron, therefore his excavations pertains to a 
period earlier than he had claimed. 
This question was of deep interest to me. At my department in the 
National Museum we had just obtained a series of the tombs and their 
contents, the evidences of human industry (a very fine series), and 
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