Ancient Dwarf Kingdom or the Hoard of a Fiery Dragon?

In J.R.R. Tolkien''s "The Hobbit" (1937), Erebor is both the ancient home of the dwarves, which has been conquered and is now occupied by the dragon Smaug, and the destination of the quest of thirteen dwarves and a hobbit, who aim at regaining Erebor from the claws of the dragon. On their way to the mountain, the dwarves constantly remember the old days in which their ancestors mined and crafted b...