152 Haakon Schetelig. [No. 8 
5. General chronologieal conelusions compared with the 
typology. 
From the recorded finds I think it possible to make out, 
roughly, some main periods of the typological development expressed 
by absolute dates in centuries. Of course the dates are always 
given with the reservation before mentioned, and the diseussion of 
the date in each of the above instances may have given results of 
no great exactness, as the graves in most cases contain objects of 
different age. But when a general progress of the typologieal 
development has been confirmed by the study of the finds, it is 
allowed also to combine typological features with evidences drawn 
from the craves in order to obtain å closer chronological evidence 
than it is possible to obtain from the graves alone. When å form 
has passed through a so rich typological development as is the 
case with the cruciform brooches, we may be sure that none of the 
distinet stages of the development has lasted for any long period; 
the development is to be considered only an unbroken series of 
small changes which gradually produced varieties very ditferent from 
the first form. 'Mhus it must be evident that the date of å certain 
stage of development is most exactly stated by the earliest appear- 
ance of it, and that specimens of the same form from graves of å 
considerably later date are to be regarded as specimens which were 
old already at the time when they were buried in the grave. With 
4 sufficient knowledge of all the forms and of the other contents 
of the ocraves where they are found, it is thus possible to decide 
that, for instance, å brooch was made about the middle of the 5th 
cent. but was not buried till after the beginning of the 6th cent. 
In the following statements it must be remembered, however, that 
I have regard only to the Norwegian material, as my knowledge 
of the material from other countries does not permit me to draw 
reliable conclusions. 
I have arranged the periods of the cruciform brooches from 
Norway in the following way: 
I. 350—400. A. D. Early cruciform brooches, before the be- 
vinning of a separate development in the different districts. 
The foot is long and narrow; the bow is long and approaches 
to the semicireular form; the head-plate is small and the side- 
knobs are fixed upon the axis of the spring-coil. Perhaps 
