Theirsmallerboats,orcoracles,weremadeofosiersinterwoven,coveredwithhides,andriggedwithleathernsailsandthongtackle。
Itwillreadilybeimaginedthatanythinglikecivilization,asatpresentunderstood,musthavebeennexttoimpossibleundersuchcircumstances。”Miserableindeed,”saysCarlyle,”wastheconditionoftheaboriginalsavage,glaringfiercelyfromunderhisfleeceofhair,whichwiththebeardreacheddowntohisloins,andhungroundthemlikeamattedcloak;therestofhisbodysheetedinitsthicknaturalfell。Heloiteredinthesunnygladesoftheforest,livingonwildfruits;or,astheancientCaledonians,squattedhimselfinmorasses,lurkingforhisbestialorhumanprey;withoutimplements,withoutarms,savetheballofheavyflint,towhich,thathissolepossessionanddefencemightnotbelost,hehadattachedalongcordofplaitedthongs;therebyrecoveringaswellashurlingitwithdeadly,unerringskill。”
Theinjunctiongiventomanto”replenishtheearthandsubdueit”
couldnotpossiblybefulfilledwithimplementsofstone。Tofellatreewithaflinthatchetwouldoccupythelabourofamonth,andtoclearasmallpatchofgroundforpurposesofculturewouldrequirethecombinedeffortsofatribe。Forthesamereason,dwellingscouldnotbeerected;andwithoutdwellingsdomestictranquillity,security,culture,andrefinement,especiallyinarudeclimate,wereallbutimpossible。Mr。Emersonwellobserves,that”theeffectofahouseisimmenseonhumantranquillity,power,andrefinement。Amaninacaveoracamp——anomad——dieswithnomoreestatethanthewolforthehorseleaves。Butsosimplealabourasahousebeingachieved,hischiefenemiesarekeptatbay。Heissafefromtheteethofwildanimals,fromfrost,sunstroke,andweather;andfinefacultiesbegintoyieldtheirfineharvest。Inventionsandartsareborn,manners,andsocialbeautyanddelight。”Buttobuildahousewhichshouldserveforshelter,forsafety,andforcomfort——inaword,asahomeforthefamily,whichisthenucleusofsociety——bettertoolsthanthoseofstonewereabsolutelyindispensable。
HencemostoftheearlyEuropeantribeswerenomadic:firsthunters,wanderingaboutfromplacetoplaceliketheAmericanIndians,afterthegame;thenshepherds,followingtheherdsofanimalswhichtheyhadlearnttotame,fromonegrazing-groundtoanother,livingupontheirmilkandflesh,andclothingthemselvesintheirskinsheldtogetherbyleathernthongs。Itwasonlywhenimplementsofmetalhadbeeninventedthatitwaspossibletopractisetheartofagriculturewithanyconsiderablesuccess。Thentribeswouldceasefromtheirwanderings,andbegintoformsettlements,homesteads,villages,andtowns。AnoldScandinavianlegendthuscuriouslyillustratesthislastperiod:——Therewasagiantesswhosedaughteronedaysawahusbandmanploughinginthefield。Sheranandpickedhimupwithherfingerandthumb,puthimandhisploughandoxenintoherapron,andcarriedthemtohermother,saying,”Mother,whatsortofbeetleisthisthatIhavefoundwrigglinginthesand?”Butthemothersaid,”Putitaway,mychild;wemustbegoneoutofthisland,forthesepeoplewilldwellinit。”
M。WorsaaeofCopenhagen,whohasbeenfollowedbyotherantiquaries,hasevengonesofarastodividethenaturalhistoryofcivilizationintothreeepochs,accordingtothecharacterofthetoolsusedineach。ThefirstwastheStoneperiod,inwhichtheimplementschieflyusedweresticks,bones,stones,andflints。ThenextwastheBronzeperiod,distinguishedbytheintroductionandgeneraluseofametalcomposedofcopperandtin,requiringacomparativelylowdegreeoftemperaturetosmeltit,andrenderitcapableofbeingfashionedintoweapons,tools,andimplements;tomakewhich,however,indicatedagreatadvanceinexperience,sagacity,andskillinthemanipulationofmetals。Withtoolsofbronze,towhichconsiderablehardnesscouldbegiven,treeswerefelled,stoneshewn,housesandshipsbuilt,andagriculturepractisedwithcomparativefacility。
LastofallcametheIronperiod,whentheartofsmeltingandworkingthatmostdifficultbutwidelydiffusedofthemineralswasdiscovered;fromwhichpointtheprogressmadeinalltheartsoflifehasbeenofthemostremarkablecharacter。
AlthoughMr。Wrightrejectsthisclassificationasempirical,becausetheperiodsarenotcapableofbeingclearlydefined,andallthethreekindsofimplementsarefoundtohavebeeninuseatoraboutthesametime,*
[footnote……
THOMASWRIGHT,F。S。A。,TheCelt,TheRoman,andTheSaxon,ed。1861。
thereis,nevertheless,reasontobelievethatitis,onthewhole,wellfounded。Itisdoubtlesstruethatimplementsofstonecontinuedinuselongafterthoseofbronzeandironhadbeeninvented,arisingmostprobablyfromthedearnessandscarcityofarticlesofmetal;
butwhentheartofsmeltingandworkinginironandsteelhadsufficientlyadvanced,theuseofstone,andafterwardsofbronzetoolsandweapons,altogetherceased。
TheviewsofM。Worsaae,andtheotherContinentalantiquarianswhofollowhisclassification,haveindeedreceivedremarkableconfirmationoflateyears,bythediscoverieswhichhavebeenmadeinthebedsofmostoftheSwisslakes。*
[footnote……
ReferredtoatlengthintheAntiquityofMan,bySirC。Lyell,whoadoptsM。Worsaae’sclassification。
ItappearsthatasubsidencetookplaceinthewatersoftheLakeofZurichintheyear1854,layingbareconsiderableportionsofitsbed。Theadjoiningproprietorsproceededtoenclosethenewland,andbeganbyerectingpermanentdykestopreventthereturnofthewaters。Whilecarryingontheworks,severalrowsofstakeswereexposed;andondiggingdown,thelabourersturnedupanumberofpiecesofcharredwood,stonesblackenedbyfire,utensils,bones,andotherarticles,showingthatatsomeremoteperiod,anumberofhumanbeingshadlivedoverthespot,indwellingssupportedbystakesdrivenintothebedofthelake。
Thediscoveryhavingattractedattention,explorationsweremadeatotherplaces,anditwasshortlyfoundthattherewasscarcelyalakeinSwitzerlandwhichdidnotyieldsimilarevidenceoftheexistenceofanancientLacustrineorLake-dwellingpopulation。Numbersoftheirtoolsandimplementswerebroughttolight——stoneaxesandsaws,flintarrowheads,boneneedles,andsuchlike——mixedwiththebonesofwildanimalsslaininthechase;piecesofoldboats,portionsoftwistedbranches,bark,androughplanking,ofwhichtheirdwellingshadbeenformed,thelatterstillbearingthemarksoftherudetoolsbywhichtheyhadbeenlaboriouslycut。Inthemostancient,orlowestseriesofdeposits,notracesofmetal,eitherofbronzeoriron,werediscovered;anditismostprobablethattheselake-dwellerslivedinasprimitiveastateastheSouthSeaislandersdiscoveredbyCaptainCook,andthatthehutsoverthewaterinwhichtheylivedresembledthosefoundinPapuaandBorneo,andtheislandsoftheSalomongroup,tothisday。
TheseaboriginalSwisslake-dwellersseemtohavebeensucceededbyaraceofmenusingtools,implements,andornamentsofbronze。Insomeplacestheremainsofthisbronzeperioddirectlyoverlaythoseofthestoneperiod,showingthelattertohavebeenthemostancient;butinothers,thevillagesitesarealtogetherdistinct。Thearticleswithwhichthemetalimplementsareintermixed,showthatconsiderableprogresshadbeenmadeintheusefularts。Thepotter’swheelhadbeenintroduced。Agriculturehadbegun,andwildanimalshadgivenplacetotameones。Theabundanceofbronzealsoshowsthatcommercemusthaveexistedtoacertainextent;fortin,whichentersintoitscomposition,isacomparativelyraremetal,andmustnecessarilyhavebeenimportedfromotherEuropeancountries。
TheSwissantiquariansareofopinionthatthemenofbronzesuddenlyinvadedandextirpatedthemenofflint;andthatatsomestilllaterperiod,anotherstrongerandmoreskilfulrace,supposedtohavebeenCeltsfromGaul,camearmedwithironweapons,towhomthemenofbronzesuccumbed,orwithwhom,moreprobably,theygraduallyintermingled。Wheniron,orrathersteel,cameintouse,itssuperiorityinaffordingacuttingedgewassodecisivethatitseemstohavesupplantedbronzealmostatonce;*
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Mr。Mushet,however,observesthat”thegeneraluseofhardenedcopperbytheancientsforedge-toolsandwarlikeinstruments,doesnotprecludethesuppositionthatironwasthencomparativelyplentiful,thoughitisprobablethatitwasconfinedtotheruderartsoflife。Aknowledgeofthemixtureofcopper,tin,andzinc,seemstohavebeenamongthefirstdiscoveriesofthemetallurgist。
Instrumentsfabricatedfromthesealloys,recommendedbytheuseofages,theperfectionoftheart,thesplendourandpolishoftheirsurfaces,noteasilyinjuredbytimeandweather,wouldnotsoonbesupersededbytheinventionofsimpleiron,inferiorinedgeandpolish,atalltimeseasilyinjuredbyrust,andintheearlystagesofitsmanufactureconvertedwithdifficultyintoformsthatrequiredproportionorelegance。”——PapersonIronandSteel,365-6。Bysomesecretmethodthathasbeenlost,perhapsbecausenolongerneededsincetheinventionofsteel,theancientsmanufacturedbronzetoolscapableoftakingafineedge。inourowntime,Chantreythesculptor,inhisreverenceforclassicmetallurgy,hadabronzerazormadewithwhichhemartyredhimselfinshaving;butnonewerefoundsohardyanddevotedastofollowhisexample。
thelattermetalcontinuingtobeemployedonlyforthepurposeofmakingscabbardsorsword-handles。Shortlyafterthecommencementoftheironage,thelake-habitationswereabandoned,theonlysettlementofthislaterepochyetdiscoveredbeingthatatTene,onLakeNeufchatel:anditisaremarkablecircumstance,showingthegreatantiquityofthelake-dwellings,thattheyarenotmentionedbyanyoftheRomanhistorians。
Thatironshouldhavebeenoneofthelastofthemetalstocomeintogeneraluse,ispartlyaccountedforbythecircumstancethatiron,thoughoneofthemostgenerallydiffusedofminerals,neverpresentsitselfinanaturalstate,exceptinmeteorites;andthattorecogniseitsores,andthentoseparatethemetalfromitsmatrix,demandstheexerciseofnosmallamountofobservationandinvention。
Personsunacquaintedwithmineralswouldbeunabletodiscovertheslightestaffinitybetweentheroughironstoneasbroughtupfromthemine,andtheironorsteelofcommerce。Tounpractisedeyestheywouldseemtopossessnopropertiesincommon,anditisonlyaftersubjectingthestonetosevereprocessesofmanufacturethatusablemetalcanbeobtainedfromit。Theeffectualreductionoftheorerequiresanintenseheat,maintainedbyartificialmethods,suchasfurnacesandblowingapparatus。*
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