CHAPTER XII.
THE PREHISTORIC IRON AGE NORTH OF THE ALPS.
Definition of the Iron Age.
We have now arrived at the stage of the inquiry into the condition of early man in Britain, which is marked by the introduction of iron, the appearance of new arts, and of a coinage. The use of iron characterises the latest phase of the Prehistoric, as well as the whole of the Historic period. The Prehistoric Iron age in Britain is the equivalent of the Neo-Celtic, or the late Celtic of Mr. Franks, of the first Iron age in France and Germany, and of the late Bronze age in Scandinavia.
The Introduction of Iron into Europe.
The application of iron to the purposes of daily life marks an important era in the civilisation of Europe. Iron appears in the Heroic age of Greece as a rare
