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was already in use. As neither copper nor tin occur in 
Switzerland, the possession of bronze implies the existence of 
commerce. It is difficult to say from whence the copper was 
obtained, but Saxony and Cornwall are the only parts of 
Europe which produce tin. It is, however, possible that Asia 
may have supplied both the one and the other. The presence 
of amber shows that there must have been a certain amount 
of communication with Northern Europe. 
The pileworks of Switzerland appear to have become grad- 
ually less numerous. During the stone age they were spread 
over the whole country. Confined during the bronze era to 
the Lakes of Western Switzerland, during that of iron we 
find them only on the Lakes of Bienne and Neufchatel. In 
these settlements not only has a new substance made its 
appearance, but the forms of the implements are different. We 
have indeed copies of the bronze axes made in iron, just as we 
found before that the early bronze celts were copies of the 
still earlier stone axe, but these are exceptional cases. The 
swords have larger handles and are more richly ornamented ; 
the knives have straight edges ; the sickles are larger ; the 
pottery is more skilfully made and is ornamented with 
various colours ; the personal ornaments are also more varied, 
and glass for the first time makes its appearance. 
After this period we find no more evidences of Lake habi- 
tations on a large scale. Here and there indeed a few fisher- 
men may have lingered on the half- destroyed platforms, but 
the wants and habits of the people had changed, and the age 
of pileworks was at an end. 
We have, however, traced them through the stone and 
bronze down to the beginning of the iron period. We have 
seen evidences of a gradual progress in civilisation, and im- 
provement in the arts, an increase in the domestic animals, 
and proofs at last of the existence of an extended commerce. 
We found the country inhabited only by rude savages and we 
