Archaeological Journal/Volume 2/Notices of New Publications: Danemark's Vorzeit durch
This interesting little book on the early remains which are found in the barrows and tumuli of Denmark, may be said to owe its origin to the magnificent collection of national monuments preserved in the Museum of Northern Antiquities at Copenhagen. This collection, which is believed to be without its equal in Europe, was commenced so recently as the year 1807, when the exertions making by some of the most learned Archæologists of Denmark, to rescue from destruction the remains discovered from time to time, in the early sepulchral monuments scattered over the country, had the good fortune to attract the attention of the government, and a commission was issued for the express purpose of securing the immediate transmission of all such antiquities as might be discovered to Copenhagen, where a wing of the castle has been specially appropriated to their preservation and arrangement.
The volume before us may be regarded in the first place, as an attempt to encourage the feeling now expressed amongst all classes of the community in Denmark, of the value and interest attached to such remains in a national and historical point of view, by furnishing them with a popular sketch of the contents and importance of their unrivalled collection:—and secondly, as the precursor of a more extensive work on a subject, of which the interest, as the editor very properly remarks, is not confined to Denmark, but extends to all the countries of Europe, and in an especial degree to such as are of Germanic race.
How valuable the contents of the work before us will be found to English Archæologists, would readily be learned from a slight glance at its contents, did not our knowledge of the connections which formerly existed between England and Denmark, render such evidence superfluous. But to resume our notice. It is well observed by the accomplished author, that many of the difficulties which impeded the labours of earlier antiquaries, in connection with this subject, arose from the error into which they fell of supposing that all the remains discovered in the various graves and barrows had originally belonged to one period and to one race. This error (pardonable enough when we consider the imperfect knowledge attained by those by whom it was committed) gave rise to many absurd theories and speculations which are now very properly exploded. Thus instead of looking upon celts, hammers, and other implements of stone, as sacrificial instruments, in which light they were formerly regarded, we now know that they belong to the earlier periods of history, and are in all probability remains of the primitive inhabitants of the countries in which they are found.
In this handbook of the Archæology of Barrows and Tumuli, for such M. Worsaae's little volume might, with great propriety, be designated, he has adopted the simple, yet comprehensive system of classifying the relics of earlier times according to the materials of which they are composed; for unquestionably the material marks the period in which such relics respectively were produced; while the skill displayed in their construction seems to shew the gradual development of the arts, the gradual progress of civilization during such period. And little does the uninformed reader, who is ready to scoff at what he considers the useless labours of the antiquary, little, we say, does such a reader dream how much of historical information as to the state of society, and the condition of the people, the daily business of their lives, their domestic relations, their modes of warfare, and the extent of their commercial intercourse with other parts of the globe, M. Worsaae has acquired from an examination of the monuments of which he treats, and how agreeably he brings such information to bear upon the illustration of those very mouldering and time-eaten monuments from which he has extracted it.
Our limits will not admit of our laying before our readers any evidence of this in the shape of extracts, neither would such extracts do justice to the book, without the neat woodcuts by which they are accompanied: we must content ourselves, therefore, by directing attention to its contents. These are divided into three parts. The first, and to our mind the most interesting, treats of The Antiquities of Denmark:—our Antiquities, the author styles them, and so closely are they identified with those discovered in this country that we might well adopt his phraseology and his book as an exponent of our Antiquities. This division treats, 1 . Of Antiquities of the Age of Stone. 2. Of Antiquities of the Age of Bronze. 3. Of Antiquities of the Age of Iron. The second division treats of Barrows and Tumuli under the several heads of, 1. Graves of the Age of Stone. 2. Of the Bronze, and 3. Of the Iron Age. 4. Of Graves in other countries, (more particularly in Sweden and Norway,) and 5. Of Rune Stones.
The third division treats, 1. Of the Importance of Monuments of Antiquity for History. 2. Of their Importance in a National point of view: and lastly the work concludes with some Observations on the opening of Barrows and Tumuli, and the preservation of Antiquities.