首页 >出版文学> Manners and Monuments of Prehistoric Peoples>第17章
  AtCastione,nearthetownofParma,andinseveralotherpartsoftheprovincesofParmaandReggio,TERREMAREShavebeendiscoveredrisingfromthemidstofvastrectangularbasinsartificiallyhollowedout。SomehaveconcludedfromthisthattheTERREMARECOLLIastheinhabitantsoftheTERREMAREShavebeencalled,weredescendedfromthepeoplewhobuiltthepiledwellingsofSwitzerland,andthat,faithfultothetraditionsoftheirrace,theyhollowedoutpondsindefaultofnaturallakes。Ifthiswereso,ItalymusthavebeenpeopledwitharacethatcameovertheAlps。[126]Whoorwhatthisracewascanonlybematterofconjecture。Itcannot,however,havebeentheLigures,abranchofthegreatIberianfamily,whoweretotallyignorantofculture,andtowhomthebuildersofthemostancientoftheTERREMARESwerecertainlysuperior;norcanithavebeentheEtruscans,forallrelicsofthatrace,whicharemoreovereasilyrecognizable,werefoundquiteapartfromthedeepdepositscontainingtheTERREMARES。ManyindicationspointtotheconclusionthatwhentheCeltscamedownintoItalytheirknowledgeofmetallurgywasalreadymoreadvancedthanthatofthebuildersoftheTERREMARES。WearethereforedisposedtothinkwithHeilbig,thattheTERREMARECOLLIweretheItali,ofArianrace,whoweretheancestorsoftheSabini,Umbri,Osci,andLatins。Inthegreatmigrationsofraces,theItalibadseparatedthemselvesfromtheirbrethrenthePelasgi,whohadremainedinEpirus,and,continuingtheirmarch,theypeopledSwitzerlandandcrossedtheAlps,settlingdowninthefertileplainswateredbythePo,whereitiseasyevennowtoprovetheirpresence。
  InsuperintendingtheexcavationofaTERREMAREatToszig,inHungary,Pigorini,[127]wasgreatlystruckbytheresemblancebetweenitandsimilarerectionsinItaly,especiallythatofCasarolo。ThisisverymuchinfavoroftheItalihavingbeenthebuilders。ButtheobjectscollectedinsomeoftheTERREMARES,thoseofVaranoandChiericiforinstance,provethattheywereinhabitedfromNeolithictimes,sothattheItaliofItaly,ifItalitheywere,didbutfollowthetraditionsoftheirpredecessors。Inspite,however,ofzealousstudy,allthatrelatestotheoriginoftribesandracesremainsinvolvedinthegreatestobscurity,andwecanbutlooktothefuturetosupplywhatthepresentaltogetherfailstogive。
  WehaveyetothertokensofthepresenceoftheancientraceswhopeopledItaly。Dr。ConcezioRosa[128]noticedintheAbruzziextensiveblackpatchesontheground,whichborewitnesstotheformerresidenceofmen。TheexcavationoftheseFONDIDICABANE,astheyarecalled,ledtothefindingofagreatmanystoneknivesandscraperswithnumerousbonestilettosandthebonesofvariousanimals,allofthemofspeciesstillliving。Later,similarFONDIwerefoundbetweentheEasternAlpsandMountGargano。InReggio,atRivaltella,atCastelnuovodeSotto,andatCalerno,theyformedregulargroups,andfromoneofthesestationsmorethanonethousandworkedflintswerecollected。WementionthemespeciallybecausetheywereoflozengeSELCIROMBOIDALIandhalf-lozengeSEMI-ROMBIshapes,whichareformsunknowninotherdistricts。
  Withtheseflintswerehand-madevaseswithhandles,theclayunmixedwithsandorquartzandornamentedwithlines,grooves,andraisedknobs。ThesevasesdiffergreatlyfromthosefoundintheTERREMARES;
  aretheythen,ashasbeensaid,ofearlierlate?Itisimpossibletocometoanydecisiononthepoint。
  Beforeclosingouraccountofprehistoricbuildingssurroundedbywater,wemustsayafewwordsoncrannogesthoughthereisthegreatestdifferenceofopinionastotheirdate。
  CrannogesareartificialisletsraisedabovethelevelofcertainlakesinIrelandandScotland[129]bymeansofaseriesoflayersofearthandstone,andstrengthenedbypiles,someupright,otherslaiddownlengthwise。Wyldecountedforty-sixinIrelandinhistime,someofthemofconsiderableextent。ThatofArdkellinLoughRoscommonissurroundedbyawallofdrystonesrestingonpiles。Inotherplaceshavebeenfoundtheremainsofstockadesveryintelligentlysetupinsuchamannerastobreaktheforceoftheshockofthewater。
  Toaddtothedifficultiesofdealingwiththesubjectofcrannoges,theyweresuccessivelyoccupiedformanycenturies。TheyarementionedinthemostancientIrishlegends,andeveninthesixteenthcenturytheyservedasrefugesforthekingsofthecountryintheconstantrebellionsthattookplace。Theobjectstakenfromthelakesbelongtoverydifferentepochs,anditisimpossibletosayanythingpositiveastothetimeoftheirconstruction。
  AbutfoundinDonegalmay,however,datefromanextremelyremoteage。[130]Itrestedonathicklayerofsandbroughtfronttheneighboringshore,andwascoveredoverbyabedofpeatslotlessthansixteenfeetthick。Sincethehiltwasdesertedbymanthepeathadgraduallyaccumulatedtillithadatlastinvadedthedwellingitself。Thebutincludedaground-floor,andonestoryabouttwelvefeetlongbyninewideandfourhigh。Thewallsconsistedofbeamsscarcelysquared,joinedtogetherwithwoodenmorticesandpegs。Theroof,whichwasprobablyflat,consistedofoakplanks,thespacesbetweenwhichhadbeenfilledinwithmortarmadeofsandandgrease。Ontheground-floorlayseveralflintimplements,showingnosignsofhavingbeenpolished,aquartzwedge,andastonechisel,whichhadevidentlyseenlongservice。Thischisel,thediscovererssay,correspondedexactlywiththenotchesaroundthemortices。Aregularpavedway,formedofsea-beachpebblesplacedonafoundationofinterlacedbranches,leduptoahearthmadeofflatstonesmeasuringsomethreefeeteveryway。Allaboutlayfragmentsofcharcoalandbrokennuts,thelatterpartlyburnt。Anotherbut,withanoakfloorrestingonfourposts,hasrecentlybeendiscoveredinCountyFermanagh,beneathadepositofpeatabouttwentyfeetthick。NotraceofmetalhasbeenfoundineitheroftheseIrishbuts,andthethicknessofthepeatbeneathwhichtheylayisanotherproofoftheirgreatantiquity。Oneseriousobjection,however,isthis:
  WeretheIrishsufficientlyadvancedinprehistorictimestobeabletoerectdwellingsimplyingsoconsiderableanamountofcivilization?
  CrannogesaremetwithinScotlandaswellasinIreland,andexcavationsinLochLeehaveenabledexplorerstomakeouttheirmodeofconstruction。TheLakeDwellersbeganbypilingupanumberoftrunksoftreesintheshallowerwatersofalake。Theythenstrengthenedthesetrunkswithbranchesorbeamsaboutwhichthemudcollectedtillthewholeformedanislet。Allaboutthisislet,beneaththewatersofthelake,werefoundvariousobjectsinstone,wood,andhorn,aswellassomecanoesseveralfeetlong。SimilarcrannogesaretobeseenonthelakesofKincardineandForfar,whichTroyonthinksdatefromtheStoneage。[131]Ifheberight,andweshouldnotliketomakeanyassertiononewayortheother,thebronzeobjectsandtheenamelledglassbowlsfoundnearthesedwellingsprovethattheywereoccupiedbyseveralsuccessivegenerations。
  ItisprobablethatLakedwellingswerealsousedinAsiaandinAfricafromprehistorictimes。HistorytellsusthattheinhabitantsofPhasis,theMingreliansofthepresentday,livedinreedhutsonthewater,andthattheywentfromoneislettoanotherincanoeshollowedoutofthetrunksofoak-trees。Abas-relieffromthepalaceofSennacherib,preservedintheBritishMuseum,representswarriorsfightingonartificialislandsmadeoflargereeds。Buthereweenterthedomainofhistory,andwemustreturntoNeolithictimes,andspeakofthehabitationsbuiltofmoredurablematerialsandtheruinsofwhicharestillstanding。
  Itisimpossibletosaywithanycertaintytowhatperiodthemostancientofthesestructuresbelong。Itisprobablethatmanearlylearnedtopileupstones,bindingthemtogetheratfirstwithclay,andthenwithsomestrongercements。TheBURGHSofScotland,theNURHAGSoftheislandofSardinia,theTALAYOTIoftheBalearicIsles,theCASTELLIERIofIstria,areallancientwitnessesofthemodesofbuildingemployedinthemostremoteages。
  BURGHS,BROCKS,orBROUGHSarenumerousinScotland,[132]andalsointheislandsoftheAtlantic。ForalongtimetheyweresupposedtobeofScandinavianorigin,butSirJ。Lubbock[133]remarksWithreasonthatnobuildingatalllikethemexistsinNorwayorinDenmark,anditisdifficulttoadmittheideathattheScandinavianssetupintheislandstributarytothembuildingswhichwereunknowntotheirownmainland。Wearethereforedisposedtothinkthatthesecuriousstructures,whichwereinhabiteduntilthetwelfthandthirteenthcenturiesoftheChristianera,areofmuchearlierdatethanthefirstinvasionbytheNorthmen,andthattheburghstillstandingonthelittleislandofMoussa,oneoftheShetlands,isoneofthebestexamplesthatwecanquote。Atower,forty-onefeethigh,risesonthebordersofthesea。Thewallsareofunhewnstones,piledupwithoutcement,andtheyformtwocircles,separatedbyapassagefourfeetwide。Ineachstoryareaseriesofverysmallopenings,intendedtoadmitairandlighttothecell-likeroomsinside,andtoastaircasethatleadstothetopofthetower。Theonlywayintothisburghisthroughadooronlyseven。feethigh,andsonarrowthatitisimpossiblefortwopeopletogoinabreast。
  Theregularityofthebuildingofthisburgh,andthearchitecturalknowledge。itimplies,preventourascribingiteithertotheStoneoreventotheBronzeage;butwefindinScotlanditselfmoreancientexamples,ifwemaysoexpressourselves,ofdomesticarchitecture。Theseexamplesaresubterraneandwellings,madeofrough-hewnstonesofconsiderablesize,laiddowninregularcourses,towhichthenamesofEARTH-HOUSES,PICTS’HOUSES,andWEEMShavebeengiven。Thewallsconvergetowardsthecentre,leavinganopeningatthetop,whichwascoveredinwithlargeflatstones。Thesedwellingsarecertainlyofearlierdatethantheburghs,andthediscoveryofaPICTS’HOUSEactuallybeneaththeruinsofaburghenablesustospeakwithcertaintyonthispoint。
  InIrelandsimilarproofshavebeenfoundofthegreatantiquityofroan。Morethanonehundredtowershavebeenfoundinthatcountry,allbuiltoflargestones,andvaryinginheightfromseventytoonehundredandthirtyfeet,withadiameteroffromeighttofifteenfeet。Themostdiverseoriginshavebeenattributedtothesetowers,fromprehistorictimestothecenturiesimmediatelyprecedingtheChristianera;fromthetimeoftheDruidstothatoftheFriars。Accordingtothepointofviewofdifferentarchaeologists,theyhavebeencalledtemplesofthesun,hermitages,phallicmonuments,orsignaltowers。
  WemeetwithasimilarprobleminconsideringtheNURHAGS,asinconsideringtheburghs。Theyhavebeenjustlycalledapageofhistory,writtenalloverthesurfaceofSardiniabyanunknownpeople。CountAlbertdelaMarmoracountedthreethousandofthemafewyearsago,andmorerecentexplorerstellusthatthisnumberisgreatlyexceeded。Liketheburghs,whichtheystrangelyresemble,theNURHAGSareconicaltowerswithverythickwallsmadeofhugestones,someHewn,othersintheirnaturalstate,arrangedinregularcourseswithoutmortar。Onenteringoneofthemwefindourselvesinavaultedroom,whichlooksexactlylikeonehalfofanegginshape。Intheupperstoriesaretwo,andsometimesthreerooms,oneabovetheother,towhichaccessisgainedbystepscutinthewalls。ThewholestructureiscrownedbyaterraceFig。53。WemustaddthattheentrancetotheNURHAGisthroughanopeningonalevelwiththeground,andsolowthatonecanonlygoinbycrawlingonthestomach。
  Manyconjectureshavebeenmadeastotheuseofthesetowers。Weretheytemplesinwhichtoworship,ortrophiesofvictory?Theirnumberisagainsteitherofthesehypotheses。Weretheythenhabitationsortowersofobservation?Nottheformercertainly,fornoonecouldlivebetweenwallssixteenortwenty-twofeetthick,shutoutfromairandlight。Sometravellersthinktheyweretombs,butexcavationshavebroughttolightnobonesorsepulchralrelics。WecancomparethemtonothingbuttheTowersofSilence,onwhichtheParseesexposetheirdeadtothebirdsofheaven,whichareeverreadyrapidlytoacquitthemselvesoftheirmelancholyfunctions。