surprised that there should be one or two cases in which they have been found associated together.
Again, the geographical distribution of bronze weapons and implements does not favour such a theory. The Romans never entered Denmark; it is doubtful whether they ever landed in Ireland; no Roman road, masonry, or earthwork has ever been found there. Yet while more than 350 bronze swords have been found in Denmark,[1] more than 400 in France, and a very large number in Ireland,[2] the Italian museums only contain about 50. Indeed, the rich museums at Florence, Rome, and Naples do not appear to possess a single specimen of those typical, leaf-shaped bronze swords, which are, comparatively speaking, so common in the North. That the bronze swords should have been introduced into Denmark by a people who never occupied that country, and from a part of Europe in which they are very rare, is, I think, a most untenable hypothesis. I may add that no swords or celts of bronze have been found in the excavations of Pompeii.[3]
Moreover, the use of the word "ferrum" (iron) as synonymous with a sword, clearly proves that the Roman swords were made of that metal.
I have already mentioned that silver and lead do not occur in Bronze Age finds, that coins and letters are equally absent, and that the ornamentation of the Bronze Age, though sometimes very beautiful, is not of a Roman character.
Lastly, the bronze which was so largely used by the Romans for ornaments, etc., was composed partly of lead, whereas that of the Bronze Age consists of copper and tin only. Other metals, indeed, such as iron, silver,
- ↑ If daggers are included the number would reach nearly 1200, and 480 for Sweden.—Chantre, Age du Bronze, vol. i. p. 134.
- ↑ The Museum at Dublin contains 282 swords and daggers; the number of swords is not stated separately.
- ↑ This statement has been questioned by Mr Wright, who pointed out that two bronze celts in the museum at Naples have been figured and described as coming from Pompeii. During a visit to Naples, I looked out these celts, and found that they did not come from Pompeii, but from an ancient tomb in Magna Græcia.
