THE IRON AGE IN ITALY. By David Randall- McIver. (Clarendon
Press. 84s.)-Much work has been done of late on the numerous prehistoric sites in Italy, and the characteristics of the various primitive peoples which Rome was afterwards to unify are slowly being defined. Dr. Randall- Maclver has devoted himself to the study of the Early Iron Age, immediately preceding the rise of Rome. Three years ago he put together all the evidence available for the early Etruscans and for a very different race-called Villanovans, because their first remains were found at Villanova outside
Bologna. He has now continued his task by publishing the material available for Este and the lake region, for Picenum and for the South. A great deal of the matter will be entirely new to students, even in Italy, as the objects described and figured are ht local museums. We must be content to empha- size the scientific importance of the book and the high artistic quality of many of the prehistoric cups and bowls, weapons and jewels, which are illustrated. The bronze situla or burial
• jar found at Certosa is a superb object, with its many figures in repousse ' • the author regards it as Etruscan work, and thus affords fresh testimony to the artistic skill of that strange and terrible people.
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