Abstract
THE Mittheilmigeti aus dem Göttingen Anthropologischen Vereine, which are edited by Dr. Hermann von Jhering, promise to give important contributions to the department of anthropological science, and the appearance of these selections from the Transactions cf the Society will be hailed with satisfaction. The first number contains an interesting paper on the origin of our knowledge of iron and bronze in Europe, by Prof. F. W. linger, in which the author considers seriatim (1) the application of bronze for religious or sacrificial objects; (2) the linguistic affinity of the terms for ores, or metal generally, in different languages; (3-6) the mythical references ta their use, seat of original works and the modes of employing bronze for and in connection with ceremonies of cremation. The section under which Prof. Unger treats of the myths and sagas connected with the history of the discovery and the first working of metals is especially interesting in regard to the early knowledge of iron possessed by the Tschudi, or primitive people of the Altai, through whom he believes that the Indo-Germanic races derived their acquaintance with its sources and modes of working.— A paper on skulls of extreme breadth, by Dr. von Jhering, which is rather a compendium of what has been done towards the definition of normal and abnormal types than a contribution of original matter, is aptly supplemented by the description of a new craniometer, given in the concluding extracts of the Transactions by Dr. W. Sprengel, who draws attention to the important direction taken by craniometrical inquiries in the course of the last year by the introduction of Dr. von Jhering's horizontal-plane apparatus, of which plates and detailed explanations are appended by the writer.—In a paper on the very widely spread custom of tattooing the human body, in which some inquirers have believed they could trace the earliest origin of the art of using graved and written characters to express ideas, Herr Krause considers whether in this far-extending practice we have not an argument in favour of the unity of the human race. The author is not of opinion that we are justified in accepting this suggestion as capable of proof, but he thinks that this practice, against which Moses warned the Israelites, had a far higher significance than that of mere personal ornamentation, and was probably at one time or other associated with the religion of the several peoples who adopted it, while it also served as an emblematic emblasonment of the pretensions or calling of the wearer, a talismanic or hieroglyphic form of speech, and as a permanent pictorial exponent of facts in the absence of any other written language.
Article PDF
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Scientific Serials . Nature 10, 350 (1874). https://doi.org/10.1038/010350a0
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/010350a0