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BURIAL DURING THE BRONZE AGE
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attitude. In Denmark, cremation appears to have been almost universal; in England, I have taken out the statistics of 100 cases of tombs containing objects of bronze, 37 recorded by Mr Bateman and 63 by Sir R. C. Hoare; and the following table shows the manner in which the corpse had been treated.

Contracted. Burnt. Extended. Uncertain.
  1. Bateman
    ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
15 10 5 7
  1. Hoare
    ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
4 49 2 8
—— —— —— ——
19 59 7 15

In 100 cases recorded by Canon Greenwell, all were contracted or burnt.


Fig. 75.—A small comb, one-sixth of the actual size. Found with the preceding.
We may consider, therefore, that during this period the corpse was sometimes, though very rarely, extended on its back, and more frequently it was buried in a sitting or crouching position, and in a small chamber formed by large stones, but that the most usual practice was to burn the dead, and collect the ashes and fragments of bones in or under an urn.

The ancient funeral customs, however, will be more fully considered in a subsequent chapter.

The people of the Bronze Age led a pastoral life, having cows, sheep, pigs, dogs, and horses. The cows were small, about the size of the present Kerry breed, standing 3 ft. 5 in. at the shoulder. Larger oxen sometimes occurred, but were not common. The sheep and horse were also small; but the pigs, though slender, were about the average size of modern specimens. There are indications that they cultivated the soil from the prevalence of lines of terrace near the camps, but on this point the evidence is not conclusive.

The camps were no doubt occupied for a long period, and from that day to this objects have been dropped in them, and especially in the ditch. General Pitt Rivers,