character of the skeletons found in these different series of tumuli,
and the memoir contains no account of those which belong to the
two latest periods. On the remains found in tumuli of tike earliest
class some interesting remarks are to be found in Professor
Esdiricht’s Memoir, but these are scarcely sufficient to satisfy all
doubts as to thè important ethnological question, to what people
they belonged. The author supposes they were “ -a Caucasian
race.” He draws this inference from the spherical form of the
head and its considerable developement, and from the shape of the
nasal bones, which, as be says, are arched, indicating a prominent
or aquiline nose. On the other hand, he mentions characters which
belong to the Finnish nations rather than to Indo-Europeans. He
says that the orbits of the eyes were small and deeply set under the
eye-brows, so that the eye must have been deeply set with strong
prominent eye-brows : there is a considerable depression of the nasal
bones [between the orbits; these are characteristics of the Finnish
race, as may be seen in a preceding page of this volume, which contains
an account of the osteology of an Esthonian Finn. A -still
stronger feature of resemblance to some of the Lappish, Finnish,
and many kindred raees, is the lateral projection of the zygoma,
giving to the skull much of that pyramidal form, which is so,ire-
markable a feature of “the Turanian nations. This will be perceived
by the reader, on inspecting the annexed engraving, which was taken
from the cast, though it is not perceptible in the profile or in the
front view—neither of them affording aspects of the skull which are
satisfactory—given in the “ Danske Folkeblad.” It would be rash to
conclude from these characters that the skulls in question belonged
to a Finnish people, though that race is known, as we havé seen,
to have approached in ancient times the borders- of Deiihiark. .We
might rather look upon the Cimbrie or Celtic inhabitants of Northern
Europe, as does Professor Eschricht, as the Rectors and occupants
of those ancient tombs. Some remains found in Britain give reason
to suspect, that the Celtic, inhabitants of this country had in early
times something of the Mongolian or Turanian form of the head.
However this may have been, we recognise in both countries remains
belonging to two successive periods; I mean those of the stone and of
the copper age, in the phraseology adopted by Professor Eschricht.*
* The three heads described are very small: though they appear ttf have belonged
to adults, the circumference measures only about sixteen inches. Heads so small
as the author observes, are seldom seen among the modern Danes. This however
may he an individual rather than a national character.
The comparison of the sepulchral remains found in Denmark,
and spread in great abundance through some parts of Holland, and
over Sweden and Norway, with those of our own country, would
open a field of most interesting research. It is evident, from the preceding
observations, that the “ Jettehoiejf’ or oldest sepulchral
mounds of Denmark, are very similar in construction, and contain
relics of a similar kind, with the greater part of our long barrows,
and perhaps with most of the old sepulchral mounds spread through
the south of England, and in various parts of Wales and Ireland.
In most of the mounds examined by the late Sir R. C. Hoare, the
remains of ancient art were similar to those above described: they
belonged to a people in a corresponding state of; society, probably
to the same people. Implements and weapons of stone belong to
each: only amber is not found, as far as I know, in British barrows,
that material having been abundant only near-.- the Baltic; ornaments
of bone seem to haveheld-the place of amber. Only in a few
barrows, according to Sir R.G. .Hoare, are ornaments of gold found—
weapons of bra-£s and golden rings have been more frequently seen
in Ireland. These relicsJof copper or brazen ornaments are evidently
of a later date than that lohg series of- ages which raised the great
majority of the numerous mounds and barrows which are spread
both in the British isles and in the northern regions of Europe,
but all the barrows, where implements of iron are still entirely wanting,
probably belonged to a period anterior to the entrance of the
German nations. It is on the whole probable that they were raised by
Celtic tribes, of which the Cimbri were the last remains on the
northern continent. For the Celts were long ignorant of the use of
iron, if we may draw an inference from;the British barrows. It is
true that the Britons used iron in Csesar’s time for some purposes,
namely, iron rings for money, and probably the scythes of chariots
were of iron,—for what else could be used* unless it- were brass'?"
But the use of iron may have been confined to the Belgee in South
Britain, who introduced it from Gaulv Tt must have been unknown
during many ages to the Britons, as we have inferred from the contents
of the barrows, which were the old British sepulchres.
It is much to be regretted that there is no national collection of
the sepulchral remains of our ancestors. Ample resources yet exist
for enriching such a collection, were it but commenced ; but these
resources are diminishing every day. Great numbers of skeletons
have been found, and the bones scattered, within my knowledge,
during the last few years. In Ireland the Royal Academy have ..set a