Copenhagen

T H E SIGHTS OF COPENHAGEN.

It was founded in the year 1807, at w hich time sim ilar collec­ tions w ere unknow n in o ther parts of Europe, and it g radually g rew into a very valuable one, especially as regard s p re-historic relics. As far back as 1845 it contained abou t 10,000 objects, and now there are m ore than 70,000. This rapid g row th is ow ing not only to those systematic excavations and scientific explorations w hich are now -a-days undertaken to a far greater extent than formerly, bu t also to the g reat interest which all classes have taken in the collection. It has always been arranged acco rd ing to strict scientific rules, and has consequently served as a pattern for several of the archaeological m useum s on the C on tinen t — am ong st which it is still able to hold its own. The collection has been arranged chronologically, the p re­ historic section being divided into the three principal periods, th e Stone Age, the Bronze Age, and the Iron Age w ith the subdivisions of these periods. In each chronological section the objects have been arranged partly geographically, partly w ith reg a rd to their character and the circum stances under which they w ere found, viz., grave-finds, field-finds, bog-finds, and separately found articles. The earlier Stone Age is fully represented, especially by finds from the large shell heaps (K itchen-m iddens), of which a g reat n um b er have been excavated of late years. As an exam ple of these relics a pillar may be m entioned, which was cut ou t of a shell heap m easuring 4% feet in thickness. Am ongst the exhibits in the section of the later Stone Age special attention o u gh t to be paid to the flint axes, which have been collected in thousands, and are often rem arkable for their size and careful sh arpen ing ; to the num bers of flint daggers and spear-heads, the w orkm anship of which is no less rem ark ­ able; and to the large collection of am ber ornam ents found in bog s — a single find consists of abou t 4000 beads. The Bronze Age is also very fully represented. T here are som e hund red s of un injured bronze swords, and quite as many w om en ’s ornam en ts for neck, arm, and waist. Many of these,

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