216 
PROCEEDINGS OF SOCIETIES. 
same kind is, that the stones forming the chamber of the tomb appeared 
to have been cemented together with mortar. 
Another circumstance is, that some of these tombs contained two or 
three bodies, not laid together in the same chamber, as in our Celtic 
tombs, but in a lower, middle, and upper chamber, separated from each 
other by layers of stones or flags, the roof of the lowest chamber form¬ 
ing the bottom of the second, and so on. M. de Eonstetten remarks that 
he did not find in any case more than three such chambers, and that in 
the upper chamber were usually found, in addition to the remains of the 
third corpse, the ashes of burnt bones, on a bed of fine sand. The whole 
structure was surrounded and covered with small stones, giving the mo¬ 
nument the form of a conical mound, resembling our cairns. 
It is probable, from this account, that two different customs of sepul¬ 
ture may have coexisted at the time when these tumuli were constructed, 
—that of cremation, and that of burial, properly so called,—and that the 
burnt remains were in general placed at the top. Could it be that the 
Christians, in reverence for the hope of the Resurrection, were buried 
without cremation, and that the heathen serfs, or pagani, were burnt? 
In confirmation of this opinion, it is to be observed that there were 
found in the same tomb articles which had evidently been subjected to 
the action of fire, and other articles which, from their very nature, could 
not have been in fire. Thus, in the first tomb, M. de Eonstetten found 
“ bracelets de bronze, presque consumees par le feu,” and also a wooden 
ring, a large ring of amber, and rings of bronze connected together by 
linen or worsted threads, the remains of which were visible, forming a 
sort of light coat of mail, intended evidently for ornament rather than 
for defence. In other tombs he found the remains of chariots in wood, 
a buckler, with the remains of the leather of which it was composed, 
rings of wood and of amber, leather harness, and other things which 
evidently could never have been subjected to the action of fire. 
Eut it will be better to describe very brieflywhat was actually found 
in these tombs before we make any general remarks on their contents. 
Tomb I.—After digging seven feet, large flags were found, covered 
with a black paste-like substance (probably decayed animal matter), 
mixed with fragments of bones, whether human or animal M. de Eon¬ 
stetten does not inform us. At the northern side were found fragments 
of rings or bracelets of hollow bronze, which, as already remarked, were 
almost wholly consumed by fire, a wooden ring, and a large ring of 
amber, resting on a layer of gray dust; also, as above mentioned, the 
remains of a garment of linen or coarse stuff, ornamented with small 
rings of bronze, similar to those used in coats of chain-armour. At the 
east end of the tomb were found the remains of an armlet of hard wood, 
covered with a black varnish, and the remains of a bronze plate, which 
appeared to have been originally fastened upon leather, and seemed to 
have formed part of the breast-plate of a coat of armour. It was deli¬ 
cately engraved, in zig-zag lines, forming elliptic and semi-elliptic orna¬ 
ments, and it had still two rings, intended apparently for fixing it upon 
the shoulder. Some fragments of pottery were also observed. 
