Palustrine Habitations or Marsh-Villages—Surveys made by MM. Strobel and Pigorini of theTerramaresof Tuscany—TheTerramaresof Brazil.
Havingdescribed thelacustrinehabitations which have been discovered in various parts of Europe, we must now mention the so-calledpalustrinehabitations, as peculiar to the bronze epoch. This name has been given to that kind of village, the remains of which have been discovered round marshes and pools. Upper Italy is the locality in which these settlements have been pointed out.
The name ofpalustrine settlements, ormarnieras, has been given to the sites of ancient villages established by means of piles on marshes or pools of no great size, which in the course of time have been filled up by mould of a peaty character, containing a quantity of organic and otherdetritus.
The discovery of thosepalustrine settlementsis due to MM. Strobel and Pigorini, who have designated them by the name ofterramares.
This term is applied by thesesavantsto the accumulation of ashes, charcoal, animal bones, and remains of all kinds which have been thrown away by man all round his dwellings, and have accumulated there during the lapse of centuries. The name which has been given them was derived from the fact that they furnish a kind of earthy ammoniacal manure, known in the district by the name ofterra mare.
These accumulations are the representatives of the Danish kitchen-middens; but with this difference, that instead of dating back to the Stone Age, the former belong to the bronze epoch.
Terramaresare numerous in the districts of Parma and Modena; they are, however, almost entirely confined to the plain which extends between the Po, the Apennines, the Adda, and the Reno, forming anarea of about 60 miles long, and 30 miles wide. In a general way, they form small mounds which rise from 6 to 12 feet above the level of the plain; as they go down some depth in the ground, their total thickness is in some places as much as 20 feet. Very few are seen having an area exceeding 9 acres.
Excavations which have been made in several spots enable a tolerably exact account to be given of the mode of construction adopted in these palustrine settlements. Themarnieraof Castione, in particular, has furnished us with valuable information on this point; and we shall describe this settlement as a type of the rest. Piles from 6 to 10 feet in length, and 4 to 6 inches in diameter (fig. 151), formed of trunks of trees, either whole or split, and pointed at the ends by some rough tool, were sunk to the depth of some inches in the bed of the hollow. Some of them still show on their tops the marks of the blows that they received when they were driven in. They were placed at intervals of from 18 inches to 6 feet; and connecting-beams from 6 to 10 feet in length, placed horizontally, and crossing one another, bound the piles together, and insured the solidity of the whole construction. On these cross-beams rested a floor (fig. 152) formed of joists 1 to 3 inches thick, 6 to 12 inches wide, and 5 to 7 feet long.
Marniera of CastioneFig. 151.—Vertical Section of theMarnieraof Castione.
Fig. 151.—Vertical Section of theMarnieraof Castione.
Marniera of CastioneFig. 152.—Floor of theMarnieraof Castione.
Fig. 152.—Floor of theMarnieraof Castione.
Fig. 153 gives the plan of the tie-beams and piles of themarnieraof Castione, taken from the author's work.[34]These slabs or joistswere not fixed in any way; at least, no trace now exists of any fastening. They seemed to have been provided by splitting trunks of trees by means of wooden wedges, a number of these wedges having been found in the peaty earth. Neither the saw nor the gimlet appear to have been employed; but the square holes have been cut out by means of the chisel. The timber that was used was principally ash and oak.
Piles and Cross-beams in the MarnieraFig. 153.—Plan of the Piles and Cross-beams in theMarnieraof Castione.
Fig. 153.—Plan of the Piles and Cross-beams in theMarnieraof Castione.
The floor was covered with beaten earth to a thickness of 10 to 12 inches. Fragments of this kind of paving were found scattered about in two sandy heaps, almost entirely devoid of otherdébris, whilst theadjacent earth, of a blackish colour, contained a large quantity of relics of all kinds. It is probable that the huts of the inhabitants of themarnierawere situated upon these sandy heaps, and that the dark-coloured earth is the final result of the accumulation of refuse and various kinds ofdetrituson the same spot.
It is not known whether the layer of beaten earth extended over the whole surface of the floor, or was confined to the interior of the habitations. In the former case, it is probable that it was rammed down with less care on the outside than on the inside of the huts, as is shown by the discovery of a storehouse for corn, the floor of which is formed by nothing but a layer of sandy earth placed upon the planks. This storehouse, which, from the use to which it was put, could not have been used as a dwelling by any one, measured 13 feet in length, and 10 feet in width. It contained carbonised beans and wheat, spread in a layer of about 4 inches thick.
MM. Strobel and Pigorini found no remains of huts in themarnieraof Castione: probably because, having been built entirely of wood, they were completely destroyed by fire, numerous traces of which may still be detected. In addition to the carbonised corn and fruit already mentioned, many other objects bearing the evident marks of fire were, in fact, collected at Castione. The floor-slabs, the tie-beams, and the tops of the piles were often found to be half consumed.
But although at Castione there is no evidence forthcoming in respect to huts, information which bears upon this point has been obtained at other spots. MM. Strobel and Pigorini have ascertained that the palustrine dwellings bore a great similarity to those on the Swiss lakes. The sides were lined with boughs, and the interior was daubed with clay. In Italy, just as in Switzerland, certain fragments of the clayey coating which have been hardened and preserved by fire have enabled us to draw these inferences.
At Castione several beds of ashes and charcoal containing remains of meals, pointed out the sites of the domestic hearths, round which they, doubtless, assembled to eat their food. Another bed of charcoal, mixed with straw, wheat, and pieces of burnt pottery, was found in a peculiar situation—it was embedded in a bank of calcareous pebbles vitrified on the surface; this bank was about 5 feet wide, and about 8 inches in thickness. The explorers thought that it was, perhaps, a place which had been devoted to the fusion of metals.
On the edge of the basin of the marsh, a kind of rampart or defensive work was discovered, composed of slabs as much as 16 feet in length, laid horizontally one over the other. These slabs were tied down by stakes driven in obliquely, and likewise placed one above the other, their ends being inserted between the slabs.
This last discovery, added to other indications, led MM. Strobel and Pigorini to the supposition that the pile-work of Castione, and doubtless also those in all themarnieras, were in the first place constructed as places of defence, and were subsequently converted into fixed and permanent residences. The basin of the marsh having been gradually filled up by the accumulations ofdébrisresulting from the presence of man, the habitations were built on a solid foundation, and a great portion of the former floor was done away with, which would account for so little of it now remaining.
The objects discovered in theterramaresandmarnierasdo not essentially differ from those found in the pile-works of Switzerland. They are almost all worn or broken, just as might be expected from finding them in rubbish heaps. There are a great quantity of fragments of pottery of a greyish or dark-coloured clay mixed with grains of quartz, imperfectly baked, and made without the aid of a potter's wheel. The ornamentation is, in general, of a very simple character, but the shapes of the ears, or handles, are very varied. Some of the vessels are furnished with a spout or holes for the liquid to flow out. Theterramaresalso contain supports for vessels with round or pointed bottoms.
In themarnieraof San Ambrogio a slab of pottery was found, elliptical in shape, and about half an inch in thickness, concave on one side and convex on the other, and pierced with seventeen circular holes about a quarter of an inch in diameter. The idea was entertained that this object was used as a kind of fire-grating, for it bore traces of the long-continued action of fire.
The other objects most commonly found were weights made of baked earth, and perhaps used for the weaving-loom, much worn in the place where the cord passed through on which they were hung;fusaiolas, or spindle-whorls, very varied both in shape and size, likewise made of baked earth; large mill-stones with a polished surface. Next, we have poniards or spear-heads, hatchets, and hair-pins, all made of bronze. Themarnieraof San Ambrogio has furnished a mould indicating that bronze was melted and cast in this district.
An attentive study of the bones of animals contained in theterramareshas led to the following information being obtained as to thefaunaof Upper Italy during the bronze epoch.
With respect to the mammals which lived in a wild state, the existence has been ascertained of a species of stag of much greater size than the present variety, and about equal to that of the lacustrine settlements of Switzerland (fig. 154); also of a wild-boar, much more powerful than that of Sardinia or even of Algeria, the roe, the bear, the rat, and the porcupine. In different spots have been found stags' horns and bones, and also sloe-stones which have retained the impression of the teeth of some small rodent. The bear, the wild-boar, the stag and the roe, have, at the present day, disappeared from the country. The porcupine, too, has migrated into regions further south, which leads to the supposition that the temperature of the provinces of Parma and Modena is a little lowered since the date of the bronze epoch.
ChaseFig. 154.—The Chase during the Bronze Epoch.
Fig. 154.—The Chase during the Bronze Epoch.
It is to be remarked that in these settlements, contrary to what has been noticed in Switzerland, in the lacustrine habitations belonging to the Stone Age, the remains of wild animals are met with much more rarely than those of domestic animals; this must be consequent on a superior and more advanced stage of civilisation having existed in Italy. Among the domestic species found we may mention the dog, two breeds of which, of different sizes, must have existed; the pig of the peat-bogs, the same variety as that of which the bones were discovered in Switzerland; the horse, the remains of which, although rare, testify to the existence of two breeds, one large and bulky, the other of slighter and more elegant proportions; the ass, of which there are but few bones, could not, therefore, have been very common; the ox, the remains of which are on the contrary very abundant, like the dog and the horse, is represented by two distinct breeds, the more powerful of which appears to have descended from theBos primigeniusorUrus; lastly, the sheep and the goat, the remains of which can scarcely be clearly distinguished on account of their great anatomical resemblance.
When we compare the presentfaunawith that of which we have just given the details, we may perceive several important modifications. Thus the pig of the peat-bogs, one breed of oxen, and a breed of sheep (the smallest) have become entirely extinct; and the common sheep,the goat, the horse, and the ass have assumed much more important dimensions. With regard to the wild species of mammals, we have already said that some have become less in size, and others have disappeared. Hence results one proof of a fact which is beyond dispute, although often called in question, namely, that the intelligent action of man working by means of domestication on wild natures, will ultimately succeed in ameliorating, reclaiming, and perfecting them.
The skulls and the long bones found in theterramaresare almost always broken for the purpose of extracting the brain and the marrow, a very ancient usage which had endured to this comparatively late epoch. But instead of being split longitudinally, as was the case in preceding epochs, they are generally broken across at one end. Theterramaresand thekitchen-middenshave this peculiarity in common—that all the dogs' skulls found in them have been intentionally broken; a fact which proves that in Italy, as in Denmark, this faithful guest or servant of man was occasionally, in default of some better food, and doubtless with much regret, used as an article of subsistence.
No remains of fish have been found in thesemarnieras; from this, MM. Strobel and Pigorini have justly concluded that the inhabitants of these pile-works were not fishermen, and that, at all events, the water which surrounded them was shallow and of limited extent.
The species of birds, molluscs and insects, the remains of which have been found in theterramares, are likewise determined. The existence of the domestic fowl and the duck, no doubt living in complete liberty, has been duly recognised; but it is thought that the appearance of these species must not be dated further back than theendof the bronze epoch, and perhaps even the beginning of that of iron.
The examination of the insect remains has enabled us to ascertain that the refuse food and rubbish must have lain for some little time in front of the doors of the habitations before it was pushed into the water; for in it, flies, and other insects of the kind, found time to be born, to mature, and to undergo their whole series of metamorphoses; a fact which is proved by the perforated and empty envelopes of their chrysalides.
We mention this last fact as one of the most curious instances of the results which science and inference may, in combination, arrive at when devoted to the novel and interesting study of some of the earlierstages in man's existence. But, on the other hand, it gives us but a poor idea of the cleanliness of the Italian race during the bronze epoch. It would seem to us that a feeling of the dignity inherent in the body of man, and the cares that it so imperiously claims, would have been now more strongly developed than at a period when men dwelt confined in caves. This, however, is not the case. But have we, in the present day, any right to be astonished when we see, even now, the prevalence, in some of the great cities of America, of certain practices so disgusting in character and so opposed to the public health? Osculati, an Italian traveller, relates that at all the street corners in the city of Guayaquil, in the republic of Ecuador, heaps of filth are to be seen which exhale an insupportable odour. Similar heaps exist at the very gates of Mexico, where, at the present time, they form small hills. These facts ought to render us indulgent towards the neglect of cleanliness by our ancestors during the bronze epoch.
Such were the animal remains collected in theterramares. The vegetable remains consisted of grains of carbonised corn, broken nuts, acorns, halves of burnt apples, stones of the dog-berry, plums and grapes.
In concluding our consideration of the palustrine settlements, we may add, that some have recently been discovered in Moravia and Mecklenburg. At Olmutz, a city of Moravia, M. Jeitteler, a learned Viennese, has found piles sunk into the peat, along with various bronze and stone objects, ornamented pottery, charcoal, charred wheat, numerous animal bones, and a human skeleton of a brachycephalous race. All the facts lead to the belief that this will not be the last discovery of the kind.
We must also state that theterramares, or deposits of the remains of habitations on the edge of marshes, are not peculiar to Europe exclusively. On the coast of Africa (at San Vicente) M. Strobel found remains of an exactly similar nature; and Dr. Henrique Naegeli, a distinguished naturalist of Rio Janeiro, has testified to the existence on the coast of Brazil of like deposits, which he proposes to subject to a thorough examination.[35]
FOOTNOTES:[34]'Les Terramares et les Pilotages du Parmesan;' Milan, 1864. (Extract from the 'Atti della Società Italiana di Scienze naturali.')[35]'Matériaux pour l'histoire positive et philosophique de l'Homme,' by G. de Mortillet. Paris, 1865: vol. i. p. 397.
[34]'Les Terramares et les Pilotages du Parmesan;' Milan, 1864. (Extract from the 'Atti della Società Italiana di Scienze naturali.')
[35]'Matériaux pour l'histoire positive et philosophique de l'Homme,' by G. de Mortillet. Paris, 1865: vol. i. p. 397.
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Weapons, Instruments, and Utensils contained in the various Lacustrine Settlements in Europe, enabling us to become acquainted with the Manners and Customs of Man during the Bronze Epoch.
Wehave just spoken of the discovery and investigation of thelacustrine habitationsfound in various parts of Europe, and also of thepalustrine villagesof Northern Italy. These rich deposits have thrown a considerable light on the primitive history of the human race. With the elements that have been thus placed at our disposal, it will be possible to reconstruct the domestic life of the tribes of the bronze epoch, that is, to describe the weapons, instruments, and utensils which were proper to the every-day proceedings of this period.
In order to give perspicuity to our representation or account, we have classed the lacustrine habitations under the head of thebronzeepoch. But we must by no means forget that these lacustrine villages contained other objects besides those belonging to the bronze epoch; there were also found in them a number of articles which must be referred to the preceding period, that is, the polished-stone epoch.
It is a question indifferent to our purpose, whether the lacustrine villages were constructed during the Stone Age, as inferred from the presence in some settlements of stone objects only, or whether the habitations were built during the bronze epoch, some of the articles made of stone and dating back to the preceding period being still preserved in use. For it is certain that the larger number of lacustrine settlements do not go back beyond the bronze epoch. But as certain objects made of stone form a portion of the implements found in these ancient habitations, we must commence by describing these relics of the Stone Age; although we shall considerably abridge this description, so as to avoid repeating those details which we have already given in the preceding chapters.
The stone weapons and instruments are found to consist, in Switzerland as elsewhere, of hatchets, spear-heads and arrow-heads, hammers, saws, knives and chisels.
The hatchets and hammers are made of various materials, as flint, quartzite, diorite, nephrite, jade, serpentine, &c. But the other weapons and implements are, nearly all of them, of flint.
The hatchet was in continual use, not merely as a weapon but as a tool; thus, very numerous specimens of it are found in the Swiss lakes.
The hatchets, however, are generally speaking, small in size. Their length varies from 2 to 8 inches, and their width, at the cutting edge, from 1½ to 2 inches. Fig. 155 represents one of the flint hatchets. They are the same shape as the Danish hatchets during the polished-stone epoch.
Stone hatchetFig. 155.—Stone Hatchet from the Lacustrine Habitations of Switzerland.
Fig. 155.—Stone Hatchet from the Lacustrine Habitations of Switzerland.
The most simple plan of fixing a handle to the small-sized hatchets, which were in fact chisels, consisted in inserting them into a piece of stag's horn, hollowed out for this purpose at one end. In this way they obtained a kind of chisel which was very ready of use. Fig. 156 represents this kind of handle.
Stone chiselFig. 156.—Stone Chisel with Stag's-horn Handle from the Lacustrine Habitations of Switzerland.
Fig. 156.—Stone Chisel with Stag's-horn Handle from the Lacustrine Habitations of Switzerland.
There was also another mode of fixing handles to these instruments. The shaped flint was previously fixed in a holder of stag's horn. This holder was itself perforated through the middle with a round hole, in order to receive a wooden handle. It then became a complete hatchet.
Fig. 157 represents one of these hatchets fitted with a handle, in a way similar to many of the specimens in the Museum of Saint-Germain.
Flint hammerFig. 157.—Flint Hammer, fitted with a Stag's-horn Handle.
Fig. 157.—Flint Hammer, fitted with a Stag's-horn Handle.
This mode of insertion into a handle is frequently met with during the polished-stone epoch, as we have already stated upon the authority of Boucher de Perthes (see fig. 112).
There was also another way of adapting for use the stone chisels and hammers. The following is the mode employed. The flint was inserted into a short holder of stag's horn, hollowed out at one end for this purpose, the other end of the piece of horn being cut square. This squared end, which was thinner than the rest of the holder, was fitted into a wooden handle, which had been perforated with a hole of the same shape and size.
M. Desor, in his 'Mémoire sur les Palafittes,' supplies the following sketch (fig. 158), as representing these double-handled hatchets.
Stone hatchetFig. 158.—Stone Hatchet, with double Handle of Wood and Stag's Horn.
Fig. 158.—Stone Hatchet, with double Handle of Wood and Stag's Horn.
It is very seldom that hatchets of this type are met with in a complete state in the lacustrine habitations of Switzerland; thehandles have generally disappeared. In other localities, where the hatchets are very plentiful, very few holders are found. Is it not the case that in these spots the stone was the special object of work and not the handles? There were, in fact, in Switzerland, as in France and Belgium, workshops devoted to the manufacture of these articles. The large number of hatchets, either just commenced or defective in workmanship, which have been found in some of the principal lacustrine settlements leave no doubt on this point.
The finest and most carefully-wrought instruments are the hammers and double, or hatchet-hammers. Most of them are made of serpentine. One of the ends is generally rounded or flattened, whilst the other tapers off either into a point or a cutting edge, as represented in figs. 159 and 160, taken from M. Desor's work. They are perforated with a round hole intended to receive a handle of wood. This hole is so sharply and regularly cut out, that it is difficult to believe it could have been made with nothing better than a flint tool. Metal alone would appear to be capable of effecting such finished work. This is one of the facts which tend to the idea that the lacustrine settlements, which have been ascribed to the Stone Age, belong rather to the bronze epoch.
Serpentine Hatchet-hammersFig. 159-160.—Serpentine Hatchet-hammers, from the Lacustrine Habitations of Switzerland.
Fig. 159-160.—Serpentine Hatchet-hammers, from the Lacustrine Habitations of Switzerland.
Fig. 161 represents another hatchet-hammer obtained from the Swiss lakes.
Hatchet-hammerFig. 161.—Another Hatchet-hammer, from the Lacustrine Habitations of Switzerland.
Fig. 161.—Another Hatchet-hammer, from the Lacustrine Habitations of Switzerland.
The knives and saws have nothing remarkable about them. They are mere flakes of flint, long and narrow in shape, the cutting edge or teeth being on the widest side. There are some which are fitted into handles of stag's horn, as represented in fig. 162, taken from M. Desor's work.
Flint sawFig. 162.—Flint Saw fitted into a piece of Stag's Horn.
Fig. 162.—Flint Saw fitted into a piece of Stag's Horn.
They must have been fastened into the handles by means of bitumen, for traces of this substance have been found on some of the handles. The same plan was adopted in order to fix the hatchets in their holders.
The spear-heads (fig. 163) are very skilfully fashioned; their shapeis regular, and the chiselling very perfect, although inferior to that observed in Denmark. They are made level on one side, and with a longitudinal middle ridge on the other.
Flint spear-headFig. 163.—Flint Spear-head from the Lacustrine settlements of Switzerland.
Fig. 163.—Flint Spear-head from the Lacustrine settlements of Switzerland.
The arrow-heads are very varied in shape (fig. 164). In delicacy of workmanship they are in no way inferior to the spear or javelin-heads.
Flint arrow-headsFig. 164.—Various shapes of Flint Arrow-heads, from the Lacustrine settlements of Switzerland.
Fig. 164.—Various shapes of Flint Arrow-heads, from the Lacustrine settlements of Switzerland.
The cutting of these small objects must have required much labour and skill. Some are toothed on the edges, which must have rendered the wounds inflicted by them much more dangerous. The greater part of these arrow-heads are made of flint, but some have been found the material of which is bone, and even stag's horn.
The arrow-heads were fixed into the shafts by means of bitumen. This plan is represented in figs. 165 and 166, which are given by M. Mortillet in his 'Promenades préhistoriques à l'Exposition Universelle.'
Bone arrow headFig. 165.—Arrow-head of Bone fixed on the Shaft by means of Bitumen.
Fig. 165.—Arrow-head of Bone fixed on the Shaft by means of Bitumen.
Stone arrow headFig. 166.—Stone Arrow-head fixed on the Shaft by means of Bitumen.
Fig. 166.—Stone Arrow-head fixed on the Shaft by means of Bitumen.
Sometimes they were merely attached to the shaft by a ligature of string (fig. 167).
Arrow-headFig. 167.—Arrow-head fixed on the Shaft by a Ligature of String.
Fig. 167.—Arrow-head fixed on the Shaft by a Ligature of String.
A few relics have been discovered of the bows which were used to impel these arrows. They were made of yew, and roughly cut.
Tools and instruments of bone seem, like those made of flint, to have been much in use. In addition to the arrow-heads which we have just mentioned, there have also been found piercers, or bodkins of various shapes (figs. 168 and 169), chisels for working in wood (fig. 170), pins with lenticular heads (fig. 171), needles perforated sometimes with one eye and sometimes with two, and occasionally hollowed out round the top in a circular groove, so as to attach the thread.
Figs. 168, 169, 170 and 171 are given by M. Desor in his 'Mémoire sur les Palafittes.'
Bone bodkinFig. 168.—Bone Bodkin, from the Lacustrine Habitations of Switzerland.
Fig. 168.—Bone Bodkin, from the Lacustrine Habitations of Switzerland.
Bone bodkinFig. 169.—Bone Bodkin, from the Lacustrine Habitations of Switzerland.
Fig. 169.—Bone Bodkin, from the Lacustrine Habitations of Switzerland.
Carpenter's ChiselFig. 170.—Carpenter's Chisel, from the Lacustrine Habitations of Switzerland.
Fig. 170.—Carpenter's Chisel, from the Lacustrine Habitations of Switzerland.
Bone needleFig. 171.—Bone Needle.
Fig. 171.—Bone Needle.
It is probable that, as during the reindeer epoch, garments were sewn by means of the needle and the bodkin, the latter piercing the holes through which the needle passed the thread.
That kind of needle which has a hole in the middle and is pointed at the two ends, which is found in large numbers in the lacustrine settlements, must doubtless have been used as a hook for fishing. When the fish had swallowed the bait, the two points stuck into theflesh, and it was then easy to pull out the captive. Some of these fish-hooks are carved out of boars' tusks.
Stag's horn was likewise employed for several other purposes. A kind of pick-axe was sometimes made of it (fig. 172); also harpoons (fig. 173), harpoons with a double row of barbs (fig. 174), and small cups of conical shape (fig. 175), perforated with a hole in the upper part so that they could be suspended if required.
Pick-axeFig. 172.—Pick-axe of Stag's Horn.
Fig. 172.—Pick-axe of Stag's Horn.
HarpoonFig. 173.—Harpoon made of Stag's Horn, from the Lacustrine Habitations of Switzerland.
Fig. 173.—Harpoon made of Stag's Horn, from the Lacustrine Habitations of Switzerland.
HarpoonFig. 174.—Harpoon made of Stag's Horn, from the Lacustrine Habitations of Switzerland.
Fig. 174.—Harpoon made of Stag's Horn, from the Lacustrine Habitations of Switzerland.
VesselFig. 175.—Vessel made of Stag's Horn.
Fig. 175.—Vessel made of Stag's Horn.
The taste for personal adornment was not foreign to the nature of the primitive people of Switzerland. Canine teeth and incisors ofvarious animals, rings and beads made of bone or stag's horn, all united in a necklace, formed one of their most usual adornments.
They also made use of hair-pins and bone combs. These pins were finished off with a knob, and combined elegance and simplicity in their shape; they would, indeed, be no disfigurement to thecoiffureof the women of modern times.
Such were the instruments, utensils and tools, used for the purpose of domestic life, which have been found in the lacustrine habitations of Switzerland belonging to the Stone Age. We will now pass on to the objects of the same character, peculiar to the bronze epoch.
The quantity of bronze objects which, up to the present time, have been collected from the Swiss lakes is very considerable. The finest collection in the country, that of Colonel Schwab, contained in 1867, according to a catalogue drawn up by Dr. Keller, no less than 4346 specimens.
Most of these objects have been cast in moulds, as is evident from the seams, the traces of which may be observed on several of the specimens.
Among the most remarkable of the relics of the bronze epoch which have been recovered from the Swiss lakes, the hatchets or celts are well deserving of mention. They are from 4 to 8 inches in length, and weigh from 10 to 15 pounds. Their shapes are varied; but all possess the distinctive characteristic of being adapted to fit longitudinally on their handles, and not transversely, as in the Stone Age. It is but seldom that they are not furnished with a hole or ear, so as to furnish an additional means of attachment.
We have in the first place the hatchet with wings bent round on each side of the blade, so as to constitute a kind of double socket, intended to receive a handle divided in the middle and bent into an elbow. This is the most prevalent type. Sometimes, as may be noticed in fig. 176, the upper end is pierced with an eye, doubtless intended to hold a band for fixing firmly the curved handle. This arrangement is peculiar to the hatchets of large size, that is, to those which had the most strain put upon them.
Another type which is very rare in Switzerland—only one specimen of it existing in the Museum of Neuchâtel—is that (fig. 177) in which the wings, instead of bending back upon the blade perpendicularly to the plane of the cutting edge, turn back in the same plane with it, or in the thickness of the blade.
Bronze Winged HatchetFig. 176.—Bronze Winged Hatchet, from the Lacustrine Habitations of Switzerland.
Fig. 176.—Bronze Winged Hatchet, from the Lacustrine Habitations of Switzerland.
Winged HatchetFig. 177.—Winged Hatchet (front and side view), from the Lacustrine Habitations of Switzerland.
Fig. 177.—Winged Hatchet (front and side view), from the Lacustrine Habitations of Switzerland.
There is also the hatchet with the ordinary socket, either cylindrical (fig. 178) or angular. This shape is very common in France, where they are known by the name ofcelts.
Socketed HatchetFig. 178.—Socketed Hatchet from the Lacustrine Habitations.
Fig. 178.—Socketed Hatchet from the Lacustrine Habitations.
Knife hatchetFig. 179.—Knife Hatchet (front and side view), from the Lacustrine Habitations
Fig. 179.—Knife Hatchet (front and side view), from the Lacustrine Habitations
M. Morlot has given the name ofknife-hatchets(fig. 179), to those instruments, the perforated ears of which are scarcely, if at all developed, and could by no means serve to give firmness to a handle. It is probable that these instruments were grasped directly by the hand; and that the mere rudiments of wings which may be noticed, were merely intended to substitute a rounded surface for a sharp ridge. Figures 176, 177, 178 and 179, are taken from M. Desor's 'Mémoire sur les Palafittes.'
Next to the hatchets we must mention the chisels for wood-work (fig. 180), which are cut out to a great nicety, and in no way differ from our present chisels, except in the mode of fitting to the handle, which is done by means of a socket.
Carpenter's ChiselFig. 180.—Carpenter's Chisel, in Bronze.
Fig. 180.—Carpenter's Chisel, in Bronze.
Hexagonal HammerFig. 181.—Hexagonal Hammer.
Fig. 181.—Hexagonal Hammer.
Knife with a tangFig. 182.—Knife with a tang to fit into a Handle, from the Lacustrine settlements of Switzerland.
Fig. 182.—Knife with a tang to fit into a Handle, from the Lacustrine settlements of Switzerland.
There has also been discovered a kind of prismatically shaped hexagonal hammer (fig. 181), likewise provided with a socket, the length of which is about 3 inches. This hammer forms a portion of the collection of Colonel Schwab.
The knives are the most numerous of all the sharp instruments. The workmanship of them is, in general, very skilfully executed, and their shape is very elegant. Some of them have a metallic handle; but the greater part terminate in a kind of tang intended to fit into a handle of wood or stag's horn, as represented in fig. 182, taken from M. Desor's 'Mémoire sur les Palafittes.'
We also find knives furnished with a socket (fig. 183). The blade measures from 4 to 8 inches in length, and is often adorned with tracings; in some instances the back of the blade is very much thickened.
Socketed KnifeFig. 183.—Socketed Knife, from the Lacustrine settlements of Switzerland.
Fig. 183.—Socketed Knife, from the Lacustrine settlements of Switzerland.
Together with the knives we must also class the sickles or reaping hooks. These implements have been collected in somewhat large quantities in the settlements of Auvernier and Cortaillod (Lake of Neuchâtel). They are of good workmanship, and frequently provided with ridges or ribs in the metal of the blade. Fig. 184, given by M. Desor in his work, represents a sickle of this kind which was found by the author at Chevroux.
Bronze SickleFig. 184.—Bronze Sickle, found by M. Desor at Chevroux.
Fig. 184.—Bronze Sickle, found by M. Desor at Chevroux.
The largest of these sickles does not exceed 6 inches in length. They were fitted into a wooden handle.
We cannot of course describe all the bronze objects which have been recovered from the Swiss lakes. After having mentioned thepreceding, we shall content ourselves with naming certain saws of various shapes—razors, actual razors, indicating no small care given to personal appearance—bodkins, or piercers—needles, with eyes either at the end or some distance from the end, articles of fishing tackle, such as single and double fishing-hooks (figs. 185 and 186), with a plain or barbed point—harpoons, various small vessels, &c.
Bronze Fish-hookFig. 185.—Bronze Fish-hook, from the Lacustrine settlements of Switzerland.
Fig. 185.—Bronze Fish-hook, from the Lacustrine settlements of Switzerland.
Double Fish-hookFig. 186.—Double Fish-hook, from the Lacustrine settlements of Switzerland.
Fig. 186.—Double Fish-hook, from the Lacustrine settlements of Switzerland.
We shall dwell, although briefly, on the various objects of personal ornament which have been found in the Swiss lacustrine settlements of the bronze epoch.
We will mention, in the first place, the hair-pins, &c. which have been recovered from the various lakes. The most curious fact about them is, that no one has ever found two exactly alike both in shape and dimensions. We borrow from M. Desor's work the four following figures representing various shapes of pins. Some have a round head (fig. 187), and others a flat (fig. 188), or cylindrical head (fig. 189); others, again, are finished off with a twisted end to which is attached a movable end (fig. 190).
Hair-pinFig. 187.—Hair-pin, found by M. Desor in one of the Swiss Lakes.
Fig. 187.—Hair-pin, found by M. Desor in one of the Swiss Lakes.
Hair-pinFig. 188.—Hair-pin, found by M. Desor in one of the Swiss Lakes.
Fig. 188.—Hair-pin, found by M. Desor in one of the Swiss Lakes.
Hair-pinFig. 189.—Hair-pin with cylindrical Head.
Fig. 189.—Hair-pin with cylindrical Head.
Hair-pinFig. 190.—Hair-pin with curled Head.
Fig. 190.—Hair-pin with curled Head.
The round-headed pins are sometimes massive in shape and unornamented, that is, exactly similar to the bone pins of the Stone Age; sometimes, and even more frequently, they are perforated with one or more round holes and adorned with a few chasings.
The flat-headed pins differ very much in the diameter of the button at the end, which is sometimes of considerable size. There are some,the head of which is nothing more than a small enlargement of the pin, and others, in which there are two or three of these enlargements, placed a little way apart and separated by a twist. Their sizes are very various, and in some cases are so exaggerated, that it is quite evident that the objects cannot have been used as hair-pins. In Colonel Schwab's collection, there is one 33 inches long, and M. Troyon has mentioned some 20 and 24 inches long.
At theExposition Universelleof 1867, in the collection sent byM. Desor, the visitors' admiration might have been called forth by some of the pins which had been repolished by the care of the learned Swiss naturalist. They were certainly very elegant, and ladies of the present day might well have decorated themselves with these ornaments, although they dated back to an era so many thousands of years ago.
Among many savage tribes, the dressing of the hair, especially among the men, is carried to an excessively elaborate pitch. The head of hair of an Abyssinian soldier forms a species of lofty system of curls which is meant to last a whole lifetime. He carries with him a long pin, furnished with a thick button, owing to the impossibility of reaching his skin through hiscoiffurewith the extremities of his fingers.
In the same way the New Zealanders wear an enormous "chignon," 2 feet high and ornamented with ribbons.
The Chinese and the Japanese also devote excessive attention to the dressing of their hair.
It is, therefore, probable that the inhabitants of the lacustrine villages, both men and women, devoted an immense amount of care to the cultivation of theircoiffure. In the tombs of the bronze epoch, pins have been found 2½ feet in length, with large knobs or buttons at the end, similar to those used by the Abyssinian soldiers of our own day. The combs, which resembled those of the present New Zealanders, although 6 inches long, had only six to eight teeth, and must have been better fitted to scratch their heads than to dress their hair.
Bracelets, too, have been found in some considerable numbers in the Swiss lakes. They are very varied in their shapes, decidedly artistic in their workmanship, and often set off with carved designs.
Some (fig. 191) are composed of a single ring of varying width,the ends of which almost meet and terminate by a semi-circular clasp; others (fig. 192), are a combination of straight or twisted wires ingeniously joined to one another.