II.—TRANSITION PERIOD.
Before proceeding to describe the changes brought about in the social economy of the lake-dwellers by the introduction of the metals, there is an important problem that demands a few passing remarks, viz. the evidence as to the existence of a Copper Age in Europe. The theory of those who advocate the affirmative of this problem, among whom are notably Professor v. Pulszky, of Buda-Pesth, and Dr. Much, of Vienna, is that the prehistoric people of Europe became first acquainted with the art of extracting copper from its ore, which they fashioned both by smelting and hammering into various kinds of weapons, implements, and ornaments. In the first instance these were mere imitations of objects previously in use. Thus the flat axe or celt, almost the only form ever found in copper in Europe (except Hungary), was clearly formed on the model of the stone implements previously in use. Daggers and spear-heads are also imitations of their flint prototypes, as may be strikingly seen by a comparison of [Fig. 7], No. 11, with [Fig. 8], No. 2, the former being flint, and the latter copper.
As the very strongest arguments in support of a Copper Age are derived from the number and variety of objects of pure copper that have come to light through lake-dwelling researches, I will endeavour, as briefly as possible, to point out their general bearing on this problem. We have already seen that in many instances celts, daggers, beads, and other objects of copper were found on various stations, but almost invariably associated with bronze objects, as was the case, for example, at Wollishofen. There can hardly be any doubt that the transition from Stone to the most flourishing period of the Bronze Age took place during the occupation of this lacustrine settlement, but to infer that its copper objects were the products of a Copper Age would manifestly be overstepping the limits of a legitimate conclusion. From these long-lived settlements, with their promiscuous contents, we must turn to those which have come, as it were, to a premature end, just shortly after the first metal objects began to be used, but before the full development of the Bronze Age. From such stations in the lake-dwelling area I select the following seven as the most interesting, viz.:—Polada, Laibach, Mondsee, Robenhausen, Locras, Vinelz, and St. Blaise. In the following table I have tabulated all the metal objects that I can find on record, or deposited in local collections, as coming from these stations.
| Name of Station. | Copper. | Bronze. | References. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polada | —— | 1 dagger, 3 flat celts. | Dr. Rambotti's Collection, Desenzano, [Fig. 67]. |
| Laibach (crucibles) | 1 flat celt, 6 daggers and cutting blades, 5 awls, 1 fragment. | 1 winged celt, 3 pins, 2 swords, 1 ornamented dagger, 2 plain do., 2 bracelets. | [Fig. 45]; B. 302 and 317. |
| Mondsee (crucibles, [Fig. 184], No. 3) | 14 flat celts, 6 daggers, 3 spirals, 3 awls, 1 fish-hook, 2 fragments | 1 portion of dagger, 1 hair-pin | [Fig. 39]; Much: Kupferzeit in Europa |
| Robenhausen (crucibles) | 1 flat celt | 1 flat celt | [Fig. 24] |
| Locras | 4 daggers, 2 awls, 1 double celt (No. 10, [Fig. 186]), 1 bead | 1 flat-handed sword, 1 dagger, 2 hair-pins | [Fig. 186], No. 1; B. 336, p. 33; Matériaux vols. xiv. and xv.; Antiqua, 1885, p. 106 |
| Vinelz | 49 beads (45 of which are in Bern and 4 in Gross Coll.), 9 daggers, 6 awls, 1 flat celt, 8 pendants, 1 spiral, 1 tube, 3 punches, 1 hair-pin, 1 chisel | —— | [Fig. 7] Antiqua, 1885, p. 107; B. 462, Pl. xv. and xvi. |
| St. Blaise (crucibles) | 5 daggers, 2 portions of flat celts, 3 knives, 3 beads, 4 arrow-points, 2 earrings, 1 spiral | 1 dagger with mid-rib. Anzeiger, 1882, Pl. xix. 3 | [Fig. 8]; Antiqua, 1883, p. 61; Ibid., 1884, pp. 59 and 60; Ibid., 1885, pp. 10, 108; and Ibid., 1886, p. 13 |
The total number of copper objects tabulated by Mr. Forrer, in his carefully prepared "Statistick der in der Schweiz gefundenen Kupfergeräthe,"[136] amounts to 250. Of these, 107 are beads or ornaments, and of the remaining number, 37 are flat celts—the rest being chisels, knives, daggers, hammers, etc. The copper finds on the other stations, except the seven here mentioned, may be dispensed with as weakening rather than strengthening the evidence for a separate Copper Age, because there was a preponderance of bronze objects associated with them, as was the case, for example, at Lattringen and Gerlafingen.
Looking now at our seven selected stations we see, from the general character of the relics with which the metal objects were associated, that they belonged essentially to the Stone Age; and it would appear as if the use of the metals had not been sufficiently long known to alter their prevailing character. Now it will be observed that in all these seven stations, except one, viz. Vinelz, objects of bronze were also found associated with those of copper. On the other hand, Polada has yielded only a few bronze weapons, and yet there can be no doubt that this station existed during the earliest Transition period. Nor is it in this respect singular, as at Ober-Meilen there were two objects of bronze, viz. a flat celt and a bracelet, associated with relics of the Stone Age, but none of copper. Also in the transition station at Morges (Roseaux) there were no less than 18 bronze celts of the same type, together with a few other objects of this material, but none of copper. On the supposition that a Copper Age prevailed for any length of time as a preliminary to that of Bronze, it would follow that the station at Vinelz was earlier than the others. The character of its relics does not, however, bear this interpretation, as the perforated hatchets and other relics are more numerous and more elegant than anywhere else, and some of its pottery is highly ornamented and in some respects resembles that of the Bronze Age. The arrow-points and daggers of flint are exceedingly well formed, and among a variety of types of the former there are some with recurved barbs. Also this station is rich in cloth, nets, thread, bone buttons, etc., and corresponds in every respect with that of Locras, on which a sword and a dagger of bronze were found along with a few copper implements. The mere absence of bronze in Vinelz is not a sufficient reason, per se, to suppose that it existed in a pure Copper Age without a knowledge of bronze. All the copper objects from the other stations bear the same evidence of primitive workmanship as those from it.
On the other hand, the earliest bronze objects, wherever found, such as the swords and daggers, etc., from Locras, Polada, and Laibach, show a totally different and a much higher style of manufacture; but yet there is not even presumptive evidence in favour of the idea that they represent a later date than the crude copper tools and weapons of Vinelz. The contemporaneity of more or fewer bronze objects in the six other stations of the Transition period above named entirely outweighs the exceptional evidence of this one. Admitting that these copper objects were fabricated by the lake-dwellers, a supposition which is rendered highly probable by the finding of so many crucibles at Robenhausen, Mondsee, Laibach, and other places, we must also admit that their fabricators were somehow acquainted with the superior qualities of bronze implements. Consequently the manufacture of these inferior articles must be explained on some other grounds than the supposition of a Copper Age, in the sense that it preceded and gradually developed into that of Bronze. I fancy the true explanation is that the lake-dwellers became first acquainted with metal instruments in the form of imported bronze objects, especially swords and daggers, and that this suggested to them, and directly led to, the discovery of the art of reducing the pure metal from the copper ore. Local or peripatetic coppersmiths, in trying to imitate these imported implements, went on manufacturing copper objects until they learned the art of hardening it by the proper admixture of tin. This knowledge might have been originally kept a great secret. But, however this may be, it is certain that the secret was not long kept, as we soon find the lake-dwellers in full possession of the art of manufacturing all manner of bronze objects. Ignorance of the nature of the alloy or perhaps the scarcity or dearness of tin, leading to wilful deception on the part of the fabricators, may partly account for the production of some of these copper implements. It has also been suggested that the repeated melting of bronze causes the tin to disappear, and that in this way copper objects may have come about. But this explanation is inapplicable to those from the lake-dwellings, as they are all of the most primitive type, and were undoubtedly manufactured during the initiatory stages of the metallurgic art.