476 



The Museum Gazette 



If, then, we may say that for Britain history goes back only 

 two thousand years, how do the dates stand for the more 

 ancient nations — China, Egypt, Greece, Chaldea ? 



We may for all these say that authentic history does not 

 at present go back further than two thousand years before 

 Christ, or about four thousand from the present time. 



If, then, it be true that, as you insisted on the last occasion 

 that we talked with you, human beings have been present 

 in Britain for a quarter of a million years, the ages of pre- 

 historic time must have been very long ? 



Yes, the disproportion between historic and prehistoric is 

 of almost inconceivable length. You have to subtract two 

 thousand from two hundred and fifty thousand. 



What do you suppose was doing during all those more 

 than two thousand centuries ? 



Man's brain was slowly increasing in size, and its case, the 

 skull, was getting larger and of better form. The forehead 

 was rising and filling forwards, and the intellect was devel- 

 oping. Speech was improving and manners undergoing 

 amelioration. Animals were being tamed, and the supply of 

 food was becoming more abundant and more varied. In a 

 word, the human being was gradually becoming fitted to 

 take advantage of future discoveries. 



What was the great discovery which next followed ? 



That of the use of metals. Hitherto nothing better than 

 stone implements had been available. We may almost say 

 that historic time, in all nations, dates from the discovery or 

 introduction of the use of iron. 



Why do you omit the " age of bronze " ? 



It is probable that in some regions an age of copper pre- 

 ceded the art of making bronze, and it is certain that in most, 

 a short period of bronze implements preceded the working 

 in iron. These metals were, however, in sole use for only 

 such insignificant periods, as compared with those of stone 

 before and of iron afterwards, that we can afford to almost 

 neglect them. They were interludes rather than " ages." 



