Page:Palæolithic Man and Terramara Settlements in Europe.djvu/12

vi more general work. M. Salomon Rheinach, one of the most distinguished of living archæologists, in a preface to M. Modestov's book—Introduction à l'Histoire romaine—writes: "Il n'y a qu'un livre récent sur les stations lacustres et les terramares de l'Italie; il a été écrit en Anglais par un Ecossais."

But since the publication of my book in 1890, further researches have disclosed new features in the structure of the terramara mounds of Emilia which have greatly added to their archæological importance. My object in again recurring to the subject is to bring the history of terramara investigations up to date; and further to inquire if there exist analogous remains elsewhere in Europe.

The special object of the Munro Lectureship is to popularise prehistoric methods of research, and to stimulate the inquiring faculties of intelligent persons to pursue the subject on account of its inherent interest to the civilised races of the present day. While there is, therefore, no effort in the present course to exhaust the evidential materials of the two departments here discussed, they are, nevertheless, drawn upon with sufficient fullness to give a fair summary of the facts. To facilitate further studies, copious references are given to the works of authorities on the respective subjects—a modus operandi so essential for the elucidation of the Terremare and Lacustrine Palafittes, that a bibliography of their scattered literature had to be compiled, so as to afford easy references by numbers.

It would be impossible to give a popular account of researches conducted in so many different localities without utilising, to a large extent, the voluminous literature and illustrations already published. I have, therefore, the greatest pleasure in expressing my sincere thanks to so many anthropologists and archæologists who have given me permission to copy illustrations from their published works and special monographs. These are so many that I find it difficult to