Page:Archaeological Journal, Volume 29.djvu/236

 192 PROCEEDINGS AT MEETINGS OF the eastern side of the Baltic ; also by Sir Charles Fellows in Lyciu. Niebuhr supposed they are works of the Pclasgians, who, coming from Asia Minor and Thessaly, divided, seme going northward to Scandinavia and some to Italy. " It is the opinion of Owen, of Ramsay, Quckett and of Hunt, that under certain circumstances the peperino might indurate from the state of sand in the coui-se of not very many centuries. In vol. xxxviii. of ' The ArcluTologia,' at p. 188, j)ublished in 18G0, is a very interesting paper entitled, ' Remarks on certain Ancient Pelasgic and Latian Vases found in Central Italy,' by Joseph Beldam, Esq., F.S.A., wlio was fortunate enough to secure some of the Carnevali specimens from Depoletti ; these he afterwards presented to the British Museum, which already possessed one of the hut-unis. In vol. xlii. of the ' Arclucolouia' (published in 1869) at }). 9y, is an excellent paper by Dr. L. Pigorini, dii'ector of the Museum of Antiquities at Parma, and Sir John Lubbock, Bart., F.ll.S., F.S.A., ' Notes on the Hut Urns discovered at Marino.' They quote the opinion of Dr. Birch on the subject of hut-urns found in Germany as being dis- tinctly Teutonic and of the bronze weapon period (Hist. Anc. Pot., vol. ii., p. 392). The finest of those found at ^larino are in the ^luseo Gregoriano ; others in the Kircheriana, and some in ]n-ivate collections at Rome, in the museum at Parma, the British Museum, and a hut-urn in the possession of Edmund Oklficld, Esq., F.S.A. "Baron de Bonstetten and the Duke de Blacas (Mem. dell Soc. Ant. de France, xxvii.) were fortunate in securing examples of the Imt-urns and others. Both thougiit tiieni extremel}'^ ancient, otlicrs doubted tiicir great antiquity. Ampere (' L'llistoire Homaine a Rome ') believes that the entrance to the tombs (beneath the pejierino) was lower, and opened on the ancient road. To set this matter at rest, in 1S(J6 Dr. I'igorini, Professor Ponzi, Cavalier Roza, and Cavalier Michele Stefano de Rossi visited the spot. They foiuid that the position of the sepulclu'o was not accounted for by the presence of the road, and was such as satis- fied them that the interment was anterior to the deposition of the peperino. De Rossi, in his report (1867) confirms these views. Similar vases (but no hut-urns) have been found at Golasecca, near the southern extremity of the Lago Maggiore, at Villanova, in the Bolognese, and at IVtloLTua. With some of these, objects of bronze and iron were fouml. Dr. Pigorini describes nine of the hut-urns only. He consiilers these olijects from All.'auo to be of the transition period, between the bronze and the comniencement of the iron age. On tiie nature of the ware, Visconti says that 'the material, the nranufactiire, and the colour of the caitiien- ware present a relic (jf a former age, which dillV'rs from all others hitherto known.' And airain, 'their material, according to the analysis, and their form, clearly indicate that they bear no relationship to these of the Roman sepidchres.' The chemisst, Ales.sandro Conti, says, 'The material of the ancient earthenware founrl in Albano diOers from the common clny, by the addition of a certain (piantity of volcanic saml.' I'lacas says, ' Lc materiel emj)loy(''e n la confection de ccs vases est une argile noiratro melee de sable volcanifjue ; ' anrl Honstetten writes : ' La haiite antiipiite de ces poteries fut ainsi parfaitinent deniontrco, d'ailh^urs la gi'Ossiereto dtj Iciir travail, la bizarrerie fie leur forme, et In comf)osition de leur jwlte, rlans laquelle on rccoiinait f'n<'or(' dcs traces do ccudres vulcaniqucs, indiquuient d<j;i qu'- i cs urucs n'etaicnt iii Kniiiaiucs ni i'.trusfpics.'