The bronze age and the Celtic world - Universal History Library

ii8 THE BRONZE AGE AND THE CELTIC WORLD
Some years ago M. Chantre investigated a large series of tombs in the basin of the
Koban, just north of the Caucasus mountains. Here he found a culture, closely
resembhng in many details the remains found in the cemetery at Hallstatt. The
earlier weapons were of bronze, but in most cases the swords, while retaining hilts of
that metal, had blades of iron or steel. ^ It has been much disputed which of these
two cemeteries, HaUstatt and the Koban, is the earher, but I hope to show that the
Koban graves must antedate those in Austria.
M. Chantre extended his investigations to the other side of the mountains, and
on the southern slope of the Caucasus found evidence of the culture of a humble,
mountain folk, with rude pots, but, what is important for our purpose, he found in
these graves spear-heads and small objects of iron.*
Now Professor Gowland has told us that " In Western Asia there are two
important districts where iron ores are of very extensive occurrence, and in which
remains of early iron manufacture are found." He adds, " from a metallurgical
point of view, deduced from the extent and character of the ancient remains, there are
strong reasons for believing that the first-mentioned region was the first in which the
metal was regularly produced." This first-mentioned region he describes as " on the
south-east of the Euxine (ancient Paphlagonia and Pontus) extending from the modem
Yeshil Irmak to Batum, and comprising a series of mountain ranges, not far from the
coast, along the lower slopes and foot hills of which the iron deposits are scattered."'
The graves with the iron spear-heads described by Chantre are just at the north-eastern
end of this region, while in the south-western hved later the Chalybes, who were renowned
workers in iron in the sixth century.*
Chantre has shown that the two cultures which he described were existing at the
same time, for the graves of one people sometimes contained objects belonging to the
culture of the other ;^ not only, then, did the cultures s3aichronise, but the peoples
had come into contact. There is no reason for beheving that the Koban folk, militarist
though they were, had conquered their humble neighbours. That the reverse had
taken place is unthinkable. The evidence suggests that the contact had been peaceful,
3 Chantre (1886) ii. 6 ^schylus. Pr. vine. 734.
4 Chantre (1886) ii. 101-8. 7 Chantre (1886) ii. 107.
5 Gowland (1912) 281.