Only two other remarks are necessary to complete the consideration of what the Book of Mormon Nephite period requires of American antiquities in order to derive from them evidence in support of its truth. The first of these is the fact that Nephite occupancy of the western world is confined for the most part, at least, to the north continent; that while it is true that their settlements in the north became somewhat extensive, the progress of them was checked by frequent wars between Nephites and Lamanites, and also by the depredations of robber bands which infested the land up to the time of the crucifixion of Messiah; that at the crucifixion of Messiah occurred these tremendous cataclysms which convulsed the whole land resulted in the destruction of so many of the people that during this period of some eighty-eight years--from 55 B. C. to 33 A. D.--the period of time the Nephites spread out over the north continent, previous to the advent of Messiah, they could not have erected many monuments of civilization that would survive the ravages of ages. After the destruction which swept over both western continents during the crucifixion of Messiah, the people were so reduced in numbers that it would be some time before they could begin to occupy the land to any great extent, still, during the more than two hundred years of righteousness and peace which followed Messiah's advent among them, the Nephites doubtless became very numerous and the arts of peace would very greatly develop. At the close of this period, however, civil wars again checked their progress, and they entered upon that period of rapid decline in all that makes for the stability of government and permanency of civilization, until at the close of the fourth century A. D., anarchy prevailed only to be followed by Lamanite barbarism, which exerted its every effort to destroy government, overthrow civilization, and destroy every monument and vestige of that religion against which chiefly the Lamanites had waged war. [5]