The bronze age and the Celtic world - Universal History Library

THE EVOLUTION OF THE LEAF-SHAPED SWORD 83
of the Adriatic, and were making their way thence to the mines of the Erz-gebirge and
the amber coasts of the Baltic. It is probable that both Unes of trade began fairly early
in the third miUenium, and the general course of the latter route can be traced in
outline from Fiume, along the eastern foothills of the mountain zone towards Linz, where
the Danube must have been crossed in dug-out canoes ; thence it continued through
the Elbe gap, and on by various routes, indicated by the distribution
of flat celts, to the amber coast.^
One thing is clear, and that is that metal reached the mountain
zone from the east and not from the west. It was at one time
believed that when metal first appeared in the western Mediterranean,
the Rhone valley was the main hue of approach into Central
Europe.* This we now know was not the case,' for that valley
was thickly wooded, and the inhabitants of most of it remained
in a neoUthic state until many centuries after metal had become
known in Switzerland.
After the destruction of Hissarhk II. communications from the
east seem to have ceased for a time ; the irruption of the steppe-
folk appears to have interfered with trade, especially by land, over
the north iEgean and Euxine areas. Perhaps, too, after the
arrival of fresh hordes of steppe-folk into Hungary trade by the
other route may also have ceased for a time. There is some evidence
that this was the case, but in due course it was resumed, and was at
any rate in fuU swing again long before 1600 B.C., though, judging by
the type of weapons found, this trade was rather with Italy and the
FIG. 8.
GROOVED ITALIAN
DAGGER FROM
CASTELLANO, NEAR
RIPATRANSONE.
west than with the ^gean and the eastern Mediterranean.
We have seen in an earher chapter that the people of the Mediterranean had
developed a type of dagger of a somewhat triangular form, made first of all of
copper and subsequently of bronze. This dagger, as we have seen, frequently had
concave sides, perhaps at first as the result of constant grinding, and thus attained an
5 Lissauer (1904) map.
« Mackenzie (1907-8) 351.
7 Peake {1914).