axe of

Amongst the weapons of the period now under our consideration there are not a few which show their makers to have been endowed with the sentiment of beauty and elegance. The axe, for example, known to antiquaries as the " the dolmen," modelled in the form of a large flattened egg, and polished with the utmost care and nicety, exhibits in its curves a truly artistic contour. So, again, certain stone arrow-heads that are barbed and wrought with minute splinters, convey the idea of firmness and steadiness of hand, combined with a truly extraordinary delicacy of touch.

In conclusion, it must be added, as one of the characteristics which distinguish the first epoch of the "Stone Period " from the second, that in the latter, intermixed with all the varieties of flint weapons, there are found arrows of bone, and clubs made of wood only, or more frequently of stags' horns, as in Fig. 1, Nos. 3, 4, 5 and 7. In Fig. 2, No. II, is shown a little axe of stone, pierced in the centre for the insertion of the haft: here we have the expression of the first idea of the socket, and also its original form. In this same Fig. 2, No. 13 is a knife of flint.

THE BRONZE

CHAPTER II.

PERIOD.-ARMS AND ARMOUR OF THE ASSYRIANS: OF THE GAULS: AND OF THE GREEKS OF THE HEROIC AGES.

IT has already been stated that, by common consent, the title of the Bronze Period" has been bestowed on those early ages in which men, in consequence of their still continuing in ignorance of the nature and working of iron, employed the mixed metal bronze, an alloy of copper, zinc, and tin, for the manufacture as well of their implements as of their weapons. The three successive "Periods" of "Stone,' Bronze," and "Iron," we may here repeat, in this respect penetrated or overlapped one another, so that after the introduction of works in bronze, the old flint implements still continued to be retained in use; and in like manner bronze weapons and implements and those of iron, for a prolonged period of time, were in use together. Thus, when they invaded Gaul, the Romans always wore defensive armour formed of iron, and all their offensive weapons were made of the same metal; but, at the same period, the arms of the Gauls were constructed of both bronze and iron, and both metals were evidently held in high esteem."

In this chapter we propose to treat of the weapons, and also of the defensive equipment of the Assyrians, of the Gauls, and of the Greeks at the time of the Trojan war. Our silence concerning the arms and armour of other contemporary nations must be attributed to its true cause- -the absence of historical monuments. Any attempt, therefore, to include other contemporary nations with the races that we

have specified, could only lead us deliberately to place before the reader unfounded conjectures in place of authenticated facts.6

SECTION I.

Assyrian Arms and Armour.

The discoveries made of late years by M. Botta and Mr. Layard among the remains of the ancient cities of Nineveh have enabled us to give, with the most gratifying confidence, various details of the military equipment of the Assyrians.

We commence with the defensive armour of that great, warlike and restless empire of antiquity.

The shield which is represented in the Assyrian monuments is round, and it appears generally to have been formed in concentric circles; but whether the material was metal or wood, or any other substance, the sculptures do not indicate texture with sufficient minuteness to enable us to form even a probable conjecture. These circles may be observed when the inner faces of the shields are represented. If any shield was formed of metal, its outer face was probably covered with

a single plate; or a skin might have been stretched over a frame-work, and might either have bound together the circular bands that have been mentioned, or have been supported by them. Other shields, also round, have a very remarkable aspect: they have reticulated outer surfaces, the net-work sometimes having the appearance of a species of masonry; and, possibly, they may have actually been composed of small brick-like pieces of wood (briques en bois), which were bound together by an iron frame." One of the reticulated shields is shown in Fig. 3.

The Nineveh sculptures exhibit no examples of the cuirass or greaves, defences for the breast and lower limbs, such as were possessed by the Greeks. The Assyrian warriors appear generally to have been clothed for defence only in long tunics of some thick material, sometimes covered with long hair, as if the material were goat-skin. Some, however, appear to have worn a species of justaucorps, or tight-fitting coat, having a more military appearance, which seems to have been constructed of twisted cords-a simple primitive prototype of mail-armour. This plaited or matted work would seem to have been better qualified to resist blows than the common tunic; and, perhaps, with strict propriety and accuracy it may be considered to have been the cuirass of the Assyrians.3

The helm, sometimes simply a close-fitting skull-cap, was sometimes considerably elevated above the head of the wearer, and finished in a point. In some examples, the raised upper crest-like part of the helm is seen to have been bent backwards and truncated; but in others the cap is surmounted by a kind of horn curved downwards to the front, and not having a very prepossessing appearance. These helms were evidently formed of metal, and they were provided with defences to protect the neck at the back and sides. (See Fig. 3, and also one example in Fig. 4.)

The offensive weapons of the Assyrians were the sword,

the bow with its arrows, the club, and the lance or javelin, of which (with the exception of the bow and arrows) representations are given in the wood-cut, Fig. 4.

Almost all the Assyrian warriors appear armed with the sword, which they wore on the left side, passed through a belt girded about the waist, and so adjusted that the weapon. was maintained nearly in a horizontal position. The sword itself was straight and short, and it commonly exceeded but little the dimensions of a dagger. As far as can be determined, since it is always represented in the scabbard, the Assyrian sword was broad in the blade, with two edges, and

Fig. 4. ASSYRIAN SWORDS, CLUB, LANCE, AND HELM,

pointed at the extremity. The hilt, which is shown in the sculptures with minute carefulness, has a peculiar form, which is clearly explained by the examples in Fig. 4. The pommel is elegant in form, well developed, and suitably enriched. There is no guard for the hand, nor is the hilt separated from the blade by any cross-piece. The scabbard terminates in a rich bouterolle, which is always decorated in the same style: figures of lions, or other animals, are introduced, having their bodies stretched out in the direction of the sword-blade, while they project to the right and left, and impart a bold and effective finish to a highly artistic composition. (See Fig. 4.) The bow, which evidently was in very general use, was