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"10 years - 100 stories" - our digital showcase!

"10 years - 100 stories" - our digital showcase!

The Pile Dwellers‘ World is colorful and multifaceted.

Due to the constantly watersoaked environment in the proximity of lakes, moors and marshes. Artifacts of a great variety have been exceptionally well preserved.
But look for yourself, what these items can tell you about life in the Neolithic and the Bronze Age…

Thanks to the cooperation and the generosity of over thirty museums, collections and archives around the Alps, you can catch exciting insights into the colorful world of the pile dwellers through our digital showcases.

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001_Museum_für_Archäologie_TG_bohrunfall

Drilling Accident

Drilling Accident

During the Neolithic, axeheads made of green dolerite were drilled on both sides, with hollow bits made of elder wood, and sand. This produced double conical cores. At the lakeside settlement of Ermatingen-Westerfeld, during the drilling work, a semi-finished axe head broke apart. Even 5000 years later, one can imagine the frustration of the stone crafter.

001_Museum_für_Archäologie_TG_bohrunfall

Description : Drill core

Material : Green stone

Datation : Neolithic

www.archaeologie.tg.ch

002_CH_NE_Latenium_Sandale

Neolithic Sandal

Neolithic Sandal

This sandal was found at the lakeside settlement of St. Blaise / Bains des Dames, during highway construction. It is one of only a very few representatives of prehistoric shoes. The shoe was made of various strips of oak bast that were threaded between twisted fiberstrings, and had thin laces by which it was tied to the foot and ankle.

002_CH_NE_Latenium_Sandale

Description : Shoe

Material : Oak Bast

Datation : Late Neolithic

www.latenium.ch/en/

002_CH_NE_Latenium_Sandale
002_FR_MAN_Tier

Figurine

Figurine

This figurine made of fired clay depicts some kind of animal or hybrid creature. It is difficult to interpret such artifacts without much context. Archaeologists have found these kind of figurines, which often resemble human-like forms, in connection with possible votive offerings and deposits. It seems likely then, that these items were more than toys, and possibly had symbolic and ritualistic meaning and functions.

002_FR_MAN_Tier

Description : Figurine

Material : Fired clay

Datation : Late Bronze Age, 9th century B.C.

Others : Lac de Bourget, excact place unknown

musee-archeologienationale.fr/actualites?displayMode=list&page=0

002_FR_MAN_Tier
003_CH_FR_Gletterens_Schädel-vorne

Trough the Eyes of the Neolithic Man

Trough the Eyes of the Neolithic Man

This skull was discovered during the excavation of the Gletterens/Les Grèves site. The three human remains discovered in this pile-dwelling site wereall skulls. They are essentially the most direct testimony of the Neolithic people that lived in this lakeside village.

003_CH_FR_Gletterens_Schädel-vorne

Description : Human skull

Material : Bone

Datation : Neolithic, 3300 - 3100 B.C.

www.fr.ch/dics/saef

003_CH_FR_Gletterens_Schädel-vorne
003_CH_ZH_OrtsmuseumMeilenÖlgemälde

Pile dwelling site „Rorenhaab“ in Meilen

Pile dwelling site „Rorenhaab“ in Meilen

The prehistoric site was discovered by the local teacher, Johannes Aeppli, who also collected the first artifacts there. The picture shows the settlement at the edge of a small forest, and the Glarner Alps with the “Vreneli’s Garden” on the horizon behind it.It was painted by Johannes Ammann, who was born in Meilen on Mai 7th, 1880 and died in Zurich on the 22nd of February in 1950. He painted it as an exhibit for the Kanton Argicultural Fair of 1912 in Meilen.”

003_CH_ZH_OrtsmuseumMeilenÖlgemälde

Description : Oilpanting

Material : canvas, oilcolour

Datation : 1912

https://www.ortsmuseum-meilen.ch/

003_DE_BY_Staatssammlung_Roseninsel

Dagger Blade

Dagger Blade

This dagger blade made of flint was found on Roseninsel. The material originated in northern Italy, and its shape and workmanship is typical for the Italian Remedello culture. For Bavaria, however, the artefact is rather unusual. It highlights the importance of Roseninsel during the Neolithic and proves early contacts between Upper Italy and Southern Bavaria at that time.

003_DE_BY_Staatssammlung_Roseninsel

Description : Remedello Dagger Blade

Material : Silex

Datation : 3500 - 2700 B.C.

Others : Site: Rose Island at Lake Starnbergersee

www.archaeologie-bayern.de

003_FR_Allier_Ring

Ring

Ring

A spiral ring, constructed from fine wire that was twisted into five successive layers. The rind was discovered in Lake Bourget and was gifted to the Musée Anne-de-Beaujeu in the 19th century.

003_FR_Allier_Ring

Description : Ring

Material : Bronze

Datation : Late Bronze Age, Bronze final III

Others : Inventary number 5.1.249

https://musees.allier.fr/

003_IT_Fiave_Quirl

Wooden whisks

Wooden whisks

This particular shape is obtained by using the tip of a conifer tree. The twigs, in bunchesof 5 or 8, are cut off, to form a regular radial pattern with pointed and flat ends. The rod was obtained from the upper and straight part of the stem, stripped of its bark, smoothed, and in some cases straightened.
Practical experiments demonstrate, that by rotating the shaft between the hands, it is possible to whip cream until butter is obtained. The larger whisks were probably used as curd breakers in the working of cheese. This type of whisk was used until the 20th century.

003_IT_Fiave_Quirl

Description : Whisks

Material : Conifer wood

Datation : Bronze Age, ca. 1650 - 1350 B.C.

https://www.cultura.trentino.it/Luoghi/Tutti-i-luoghi-della-cultura/Aree-archeologiche/Museo-delle-Palafitte-di-Fiave

003_IT_Fiave_Quirl
003_SLO_NML_Figur2

Figurative Depictions ...

Figurative Depictions ...

... of the Ljubljansko barje pile-dwellers

Vessel in the shape of a human figure. It may be the depiction of a man with a beaked mask, or a creature with both human and animal features. The flat edge of the head is also the rim of the vessel. The cross-shaped decoration is incised in pairs along parallel lines, giving the impression of holding together the figure’s dress. The vessel was presumably used in a religious ritual.

003_SLO_NML_Figur2

Description : Vessel in the shape of a human figure, fragmented

Material : Ceramic

Datation : 2700-2400 B.C.

https://www.nms.si/si/

004_DE_Biberach_Beile

„If we don’t find anything here, we won‘t find anything anywhere.”

„If we don’t find anything here, we won‘t find anything anywhere.”

In July of 1921, Heinrich Forschner, a practicing dentist in Biberach, discovered the remnants of a Neolithic settlement on a peninsula of the Schreckensee, near the town of Wolpertswende. The owner of the land had previously unearthed several oaken poles of about 2 m length in the area. In 1923, Forschner conducted an excavation and discovered shaped timber, pottery and tools, of bone and stone,in a 60 cm thick archaeological sediment layer. Schreckensee remains the only discovered site in Upper Swabia, with a comprehensive sequence of deposits that span from the Late Neolithic to the Early Bronze Age.

004_DE_Biberach_Beile

Description : Hafting component for Stoneaxe blades

Material : Antler

Datation : Neolithic, 2.900 - 2.600 B.C.

Others : Collection "Sammlung Forschner"

www.museum-biberach.de

004_DE_Biberach_Beile
005_AT_ArchSammlung_Tier-1

Animal figurine

Animal figurine

In this zoomorphic clay figurine, the short legs and head are clearly recognizable. The arched dorsal crest ends in a short tail. Two of the four legs are well preserved. According to E. Pucher and E. Ruttkay, the shape of the body and the hind legs would indicate that this was a pig, with the head lowered and the ears folded forward. The figurine was found during the first excavations in 1872, and has been stored at the Institute for "Prehistory and Historical Archaeology" at the University of Vienna since 1912; it was originally part of the private collection of Matthäus Much.

005_AT_ArchSammlung_Tier-1

Description : Animal figurine

Material : Clay

Datation : Late Neolithic, "Mondsee" group

Others : Lit: „Das Altertum“, Bd. 51, Oldenburg 2006, S. 230-234.

uhasammlung.univie.ac.at/

005_AT_ArchSammlung_Tier-1
005_IT_Bernsteinkette

An Amber Bead Necklaces

An Amber Bead Necklaces

The village chief was very proud, even to the Lagazzi, an amber necklace had arrived! A very powerful talisman, a transparent stone that had the color of the sun! It was difficult to get it: it came in fact from distant northern seas and the path that those small objects had to travel was long, perhaps together with other precious goods such as tin.

005_IT_Bernsteinkette

Description : 17 Amber Beads

Material : Amber

Datation : Early Bronze Age

www.museo-piadena.net

006_CH_ZH-Spirale

Symbols of Status

Symbols of Status

Did this spiral and the dagger belong to the same wealthy person, who lived on the shore of the Neolithic Greifensee? Or perhaps, so much wealth belonged to two or more households? What is certain, is that “stone” was the main material for the manufacture of tools, weapons, and also jewelry. These copper items must have been extremely valuable and desirable. The dagger and the spiral are the oldest copper artifacts ever found in the Kanton of Zurich. They were discovered during the diving excavation of the Neolithic pile dwelling settlement of Greifensee-Storen/Wildsberg.

006_CH_ZH-Spirale

Description : Dagger, Spiral

Material : Copper

Datation : Neolithic (Pfyn)

https://www.zh.ch/de/sport-kultur/kultur/kulturerbe/archaeologie.html#351293286

006_DE_BW_ALM-Dolch

Silex Dagger with Wooden Haft

Silex Dagger with Wooden Haft

The blade of this dagger was imported from northern Italy and is made of silex from MountBaldo at Lake Garda. The blade shows much use and re-sharpening, and it was probably lost byits owner at the site of today’s Allensbach Lido – because it was certainly a precious and very valuable item at the time. Next to Ötzi the Iceman’s dagger, it is the only other discovered Neolithic dagger with a preserved haft. The haft is made of Elder wood and the blade was fastened with birch bark pitch.

006_DE_BW_ALM-Dolch

Description : Dagger

Material : Silex, Elder wood, Birch Pitch

Datation : Neolithic, 2900-2800 B.C.

Others : Literature: H. Schlichtherle, Ein scharfes Ding, Der Feuersteindolch von Allensbach. In: 4000 Jahre Pfahlbauten (2016) 425ff. Abb. 645

www.konstanz.alm-bw.de

006_FR_Allier_Nadel-gross

Needle

Needle

A needle with a biconical head and etched pattern of curved lines. Parallell lines are also applied to the top of the needle's shaft. It has a length of 15.7 cm. The exact location of its discovery is not known, but it is assumed that it came from Lake Neuenburger (CH). The needle was gifted to the museum in 1889.

006_FR_Allier_Nadel-gross

Description : Needle

Material : Bronze

Datation : Bronze Age

Others : Inventary number 5.1.147

https://musees.allier.fr/

006_FR_Allier_Nadel-gross
007_AT_Kuratorium_Pfahlbauhaus_1

Didactic pile dwelling model...

Didactic pile dwelling model...

...for young and old

Interactive, didactic house model, at a scale of 1:8, based on the remains of a dwelling at the western Lake Constance (at Hornstaad), which is considered typical of the pile dwelling construction method of that period. The model is designed in such a way that all variants of Neolithic house construction can be tried out. The model can be completely disassembled and rebuilt from scratch by the visitors.

007_AT_Kuratorium_Pfahlbauhaus_1

Description : Didactic house model on the pile-dwelling culture of the Late Neolithic period

Material : Wood

Datation : 2020

Others : Construction and production: Wolfgang Lobisser

www.archaeofreunde.at/

007_AT_Kuratorium_Pfahlbauhaus_1
006_CH_SO_Museum_Olten_Haken

Big Hook - Big Fish

Big Hook - Big Fish

This fishhook is 12 cm long and was carved from a single bone. It is a unique piece, because hooks of this size were usually carved from antlers or the tusks of a boar. However, the pike caught with this hook 6000 years ago, in Lake Burgäschi, might not have cared too much about these details.

006_CH_SO_Museum_Olten_Haken

Description : Fishhock

Material : Bone

Datation : Neolithic, ca. 3800 B.C.

www.hausdermuseen.ch/archaeologisches-museum

006_CH_SO_Museum_Olten_Haken
007_CH_AG_LenzburgBurghalde_Pfahlbaugarn

Pile Dwelling Yarn

Pile Dwelling Yarn

More than one hundred meters of twined flax-fibre string are wound into this ball of yarn. It is the result of many hours of manual labour. Maybe it was meant to become fishing net. But we will never know, because it was burned in a firestorm that may have destroyed the entire village. Only its charred remains are preserved from thousands of years ago.

007_CH_AG_LenzburgBurghalde_Pfahlbaugarn

Description : String Ball

Material : Flax

Datation : ca. 4000 B.C.

Others : Site: Hitzkirch Seematte, Baldeggersee

www.Museumburghalde.ch

Weekly News 1854

Weekly News 1854

The first printed news about the discovery of the pile dwellings in Obermeilen appeared in the "Weekly News of Meilen", on February 4th, 1854. The anonymous contributor of the article was probably the local teacher and pile dwelling enthusiast, Johannes Aeppli. On March 10th, 1854, a short article was published in the Zurich Friday Paper, by Ferdinand Keller, the president of the Antiquarian Society, who then also published the first extensive report about the pile dwelling discoveries at Rorenhaab, just a week later.

Description : Contribution of the Weekly News of Meilen

Material : paper, print colour

Datation : February 4th, 1854

https://www.ortsmuseum-meilen.ch/

008_CH_ZH_OrtsmuseumMeilen_Kannelurendolch

Early Bronze Age Dagger Blade

Early Bronze Age Dagger Blade

This bronze metal blade was part of a „riveted fluting dagger“, and dates to about 1650 BC. The wooden handle has not survived the many centuries since its time, but the rivets and the bronze blade are preserved in excellent condition. This type of fluted dagger is very rare around Lake Zurich, and is more common in the western part of Switzerland.

008_CH_ZH_OrtsmuseumMeilen_Kannelurendolch

Description : Dagger

Material : Bronze

Datation : approx. 1650 B.C.

https://www.ortsmuseum-meilen.ch/

008_FR_Savoie_Postkarte

Postcard

Postcard

„4th French Conference for Prehistory – at Chambery, 1908, Lake Bourget (Savoy), "Fishing for Lacustrine Antiquities“

Postcard published in 1908 for the French Conference for Prehistory. The event was intended to disseminate knowledge about the Paleolithic, the Neolithic and Protohistory. One of the organized activities during the conference was “Fishing for Antiques,” in Lake Bourget. The “catch of the day” were cratesful of archaeological artifacts, which became part of many private collections and European museums. Inv. CP 4156

008_FR_Savoie_Postkarte

Description : Postcard "Fishing for Lacustrine Antiquities"

Material : Paper

Datation : 1908

Others : Photograph of the postcard: Fouin; Inv. CP 4156

patrimoines.savoie.fr/web/dsp_6161/accueil

009_CH_NE_Latenium_Bergkristallpfeilspitze

An Arrow Point made of Alpine Crystal

An Arrow Point made of Alpine Crystal

During the construction of the cable car track, in the center of Neuchâtel in 1999, workers discovered the remains of a 5500 year old pile dwelling village. Archaeologists then recovered troves of wooden building materials, ovens, ceramics, and many tools made of bone and stone. One of the artifacts found, was this beautiful arrow point. It was knapped from a piece of alpine crystal, and dates to the Middle Neolithic around 3500 BC. This material was not available locally, but was imported from places, higher up in the mountains of the Alps.

009_CH_NE_Latenium_Bergkristallpfeilspitze

Description : Arrowhead

Material : Rock Crystal

Datation : Middle Neolithic (ca. 3500 B.C.)

www.latenium.ch/en/

009_CH_NE_Latenium_Bergkristallpfeilspitze
009_CH_SZ_Rosshorn-1

Votiv Offerings

Votiv Offerings

The lake’s narrow between Rapperswil and the Hurden headland has been an important pathway across the river, for thousands of years. The erliest bridge- and pier-works on the sandbank date to the Early Bronze Age, with later structures dated to the Iron Age, the Roman Age as well as the Middle Ages. The unusual accumulation of bronze needles and various other artefacts indicate that objects were deliberately deposited here.

009_CH_SZ_Rosshorn-1

Description : Deposit at Rapperswil-Hurden

Material : Bronze and Ceramics

Datation : Middle- and Late Bronze Age

www.sz.ch/behoerden/staatskanzlei-departemente/bildungsdepartement/amt-fuer-kultur/archaeologie.html/72-416-387-380-2480-2532

009_CH_SZ_Rosshorn-1
009_FR_MAN_Farnabdruck

Imprint of a fern leaf

Imprint of a fern leaf

Storage containers during the Bronze Age could be quite large. They were constructed with a coiling technique, and could be very heavy, especially bwfore firing. The bottom of this one still shows the imprint of the fernleaf-covered surface it was built on.

009_FR_MAN_Farnabdruck

Description : Storage vessel (bottom)

Material : Fired clay

Datation : Late Bronze Age, 9th century B.C.

Others : Lac du Bourget, station de Grésine à Brison-Saint-Innocent (Savoie), Collection Rabut, donation of the Ministère de l’Instruction Publique, 1871

musee-archeologienationale.fr/actualites?displayMode=list&page=0

010_AT_LandesmuseumOO_Äpfel

Oh dear, it's burnt!

Oh dear, it's burnt!

These apples have been too close to the fire. Pile dwellers collected wild apples along with other fruits and tried to preserve them. The apples were cut into halves and dried near the fire. In this case the apples were spoiled by the fire – what a luck for today's archaeologists. They found several of these burned apple halves in a site at Lake Mondsee (AT).

010_AT_LandesmuseumOO_Äpfel

Description : Burned halves of wild apples

Material : Organic remains

Datation : 3700 - 3400 B.C.

Others : Site: Mooswinkel at Lake Mondsee, Upper Austria, Austrian research project: Zeitensprung

www.ooelkg.at/de/standorte/buerogebaude-welser-strasse.html

010_CH_FR_Museum_Murten

Jewellery or Protection?

Jewellery or Protection?

Jakob Süsstrunk, a teacher in the town of Murten, carried out excavations in the region between 1880 and 1884. He discovered a Neolithic village in the Bronze Age station Muntelier/Steinberg. This pendant is one of the countless objects he found. Such stone pendants were popular as valuable jewellery in the 3rd millennium BC. - And perhaps they were also meant to protect their owners from danger and disease?

010_CH_FR_Museum_Murten

Description : Pendant

Material : Green stone

Datation : Neolithic

www.museummurten.ch

010_CH_FR_Museum_Murten
010_DE_BW_ALM-Kupferscheibe

Copper Amulet

Copper Amulet

This copper disc is one of the oldest metallic artifacts discovered in Central Europe. It was cast in the early experimental phase of metallurgy. When it was new, the disc glowed with awarm yellowish-golden shine, and it was probably worn as a personal ornament or amulet. The item was certainly a precious treasure at the time, and signaled its owner’s wealth and status for everyone to see.

010_DE_BW_ALM-Kupferscheibe

Description : Copper Disc/Amulet

Material : Copper

Datation : Neolithic, 3917-3909 B.C.

Others : Literature: M. Heumüller, Goldener Schein – Die Kupferscheibe von Hornstaad In: 4000 Jahre Pfahlbauten (2016) 166 Abb. 222 ; M. Heumüller, Der Schmuck der jungneolithischen Seeufersiedlung Hornstaad-Hörnle IA im Rahmen der mitteleuropäischen Mitt

www.konstanz.alm-bw.de

011_CH_AG_LenzburgBurghalde_Pfahlschuh

Shoes for Piles

Shoes for Piles

This peculiar piece of timber with a hole in the middle is called a „pile shoe“. It may look like modern art, but it is a structural building element, made by the pile-dwellers. To prevent their houses from sinking into the soft ground, they anchored the piles of their buildings by inserting them into the holes of these wooden planks. This technique increased the stability of the piles and the houses they build upon them.

011_CH_AG_LenzburgBurghalde_Pfahlschuh

Description : Pile Shoe

Material : Wood

Datation : Ca. 1650 B.C.

Others : Site: Beinwil-Ägelmoos, Hallwilersee

www.museumburghalde.ch/

012_DE_LandesmuseumKA_Dolch

Copper Dagger

Copper Dagger

One of the oldest dagger blades made of copper ever discovered, was found buried undera pile at the lakeside settlement of Reute in Upper Swabia. The three preserved rivets were used to fasten a handle of wood or bone to the blade. Copper daggers were rare and valuable treasures at the time, and probably served their owners as objects of status, rather than as tools or weapons.

012_DE_LandesmuseumKA_Dolch

Description : Dagger blade with Rivets

Material : Copper

Datation : Neolithic

www.landesmuseum-stuttgart.de

012_DE_LandesmuseumKA_Dolch
012_IT_Varese_Pintadera

Pintadera

Pintadera

Found in 1955 during Mario Bertolone's excavations in the center of the isle Isolino di Virginia, this pintadera is decorated with a double spiral motif, a U-shaped motif in the central part, and a series of strokes on the outside. Thedeepgrooveson the printing sideshow traces of red and black colors.

012_IT_Varese_Pintadera

Description : Pintadera (clay stamp)

Material : Clay

Datation : Middle Neolithic (Square Mouthed Pottery Culture facies Isolino, 4300 – 3900 a.C.)

Others : The object is a decorative stamp, used for body and textile decoration

https://www.comune.varese.it/musei-civici-di-villa-mirabello-e-risorgimento

012_IT_Varese_Pintadera
013_CH_BE_Neuville_Einbaum

Ready all, Row!

Ready all, Row!

When the log boat was discovered in 1880, in the town of Wingreis, it measured 9.55 Meters in length (in the meantime, it has shrunk 15 cm). It was transported to La Neuveville by the well-known doctor and amateur archaeologist, Victor Gross. Of the more than one hundred prehistoric log boats that were discovered in Switzerland, barely ten have survived outside the environment of their excavation. This specific one only survived, because it was made from a tree of durable oak, and was conserved by Dr. Gross by soaking it in hot linseed oil and rosin (also called colophony). This boat dates to the Bronze Age and was made from a single treetrunk. It was felled and then worked with a variety of sharp tools, such as axes, adzes, and chisels. But it looks like it was not finished and never launched into the water, because the bottom of the log was never hollowed out.The recesses for the oarsthat arevisible at the sides, were added in the 19thcentury.

013_CH_BE_Neuville_Einbaum

Description : Loagboat

Material : Oak wood

Datation : Late Bronzeage

www.museelaneuveville.ch/

014_CH_ZG_Museum_für_Urgeschichten_03_Riedmatt

Practical Beauty

Practical Beauty

Beauty and daily grooming were important, even in the Neolithic: the comb found in the settlement of Zug Riedmatt is approximately 5000 years old. Combing untangles the hair and helps to get rid of pests, such as lice and ticks. The elaborately crafted comb could also be worn around the neck as a pendant, or attached to a belt, like jewellery.

014_CH_ZG_Museum_für_Urgeschichten_03_Riedmatt

Description : Comb

Material : Yew

Datation : Neolithic

www.urgeschichte-zug.ch

014_CH_ZG_Museum_für_Urgeschichten_03_Riedmatt
015_DE_Biberach_Diorama

The Village in the Bog

The Village in the Bog

In 1905, the dentist of Biberach, Heinrich Forschner, discovered a Bronze Age settlement in the southern marshlands of the Federsee. By purchasing as much of the surrounding land as possible, he was able to protect the site from its destruction by urban development. 80 years later, the “Forschner Settlement” was excavated and became famous: it represents the only fortified marshland settlement north of the alps, that dates to the Early and Middle Bronze Age.

015_DE_Biberach_Diorama

Description : Diorama

Material : Various

Datation : 2010 (Gerry Embleton, Time Machine AG)

www.museum-biberach.de

015_DE_Biberach_Diorama
016_CH_BE_Neuville_Gussform

The missing Half

The missing Half

Double-walled molds consist of two pieces that are stacked on top of each other, to form a hollowed-out cavity. This cavity is then filled with liquid metal, to create the desired object. This Bronze Age object here is one half of such a mold. That looks like it was used to cast a pair of pins. It has seen a lot of use andis broken at one end. The mold was made from sedimentary rock, which is a material that is easy to shape, but also very brittle. The two parts of the mold usually had at least two opposing and aligned perforations. A pin of wood was inserted through them, and fixed the pieces in place, for a perfect cast.The second hole of this piece was probably located on the missing part that broke off. This mold was discovered in Möringen and is evidence for regional metal processing, although there were no sources ofmetal ores in the area itself.

016_CH_BE_Neuville_Gussform

Description : Casting Mould

Datation : Bronzeage

www.museelaneuveville.ch/

016_IT_Ledro_Gürtel

Linen Belt

Linen Belt

A unique find: a linen belt, found rolled up during excavations in 1961. It was found charred, but almost intact: it is over two meters long and about 2.5 cm wide. The object is conserved in the MUSE (Science Museum of Trento) and illustrates the activities of the processing and production of yarns and fabrics in the piledwelling of Ledro. The fiber used to make textiles is primarily flax, but there is also evidence for the use, in one case, of wool. It was used for sewing a button hole and a fringe on the belt. It will be exhibited in Ledro in the summer 2021.
The numerous material from Molina di Ledro has drawn the attention of researchers since the first textile fragments came to light in 1937.

016_IT_Ledro_Gürtel

Description : Textile (Belt)

Material : Linen

Datation : Early Bronze Age

Others : The textile corpus from Molina di Ledro consists of 297 finds. Among these are 83 textile fragments, 1 twining fragment, 2 balls of yarn, 195 yarn fragments, 12 cordage remains and 4 finds of raw or prepared fiber

www.palafitteledro.it

016_IT_Ledro_Gürtel
017_AT_ArchSammlung_Röhrenknochen-1

Decorated tubular bone

Decorated tubular bone

Decorated tubular bone with deeply incised decorative lines, separation marks and rounded end. The puncture marks were possibly made by pointed metal (?) objects. This bone artefact was found during the first excavations in 1872 and have been at the Institute for "Prehistory and Historical Archaeology" at the University of Vienna since 1912; originally they were part of the collection of Matthäus Much.

017_AT_ArchSammlung_Röhrenknochen-1

Description : Tabular Bone

Material : Bone

Datation : Late Neolithic, "Mondsee" group

uhasammlung.univie.ac.at/

017_AT_ArchSammlung_Röhrenknochen-1
017_CH_GE_MAH_Modell

A Pile Dwelling Dream

A Pile Dwelling Dream

This illustration by the "father of Swiss archaeology," Ferdinand Keller, is one of the best visualizations of the myth of lakeside villages, erected on vast platforms and overhanging the waves. Although this view has been challenged by archaeological discoveries about the chronological and structural diversity of wetland habitats, this romantic vision continues to hold its fascination...

017_CH_GE_MAH_Modell

Description : Model of a Pile Dwelling Site from Max Wilhelm Götzinger

Material : Glass, Wood, Balsa "wood (?), Cardboard, Cords, wooden Figures (?), Stones, Vegetable Fibres. Plywood base

Datation : ca. 1870

MAHMAH.CH

017_CH_SH_Gynäkomorphes_Gefäss

Well-Rounded

Well-Rounded

A jug with breasts? There has to be a story. But the jug from Thayngen-Weier (SH), unfortunately, does not tell its tale. In similar containers from Germany, researchers found traces of their former contents: birch tar, remnants of grain porridge, or coarse soup. The soup could have a connection to the production of alcohol. It appears the jugs may have been used in transformation processes.

017_CH_SH_Gynäkomorphes_Gefäss

Description : Vessel

Material : Ceramic

Datation : Neolithic

Others : Site: Thayngen-Weier

www.allerheiligen.ch/de/

017_CH_SH_Gynäkomorphes_Gefäss
018_CH_NW_Fundkorb

Let's go Shopping

Let's go Shopping

The pile-dwelling settlement of Stansstad, Kehrsiten NW, is presently the only prehistoric settlement site at Lake Lucerne. Since its discovery in 2003, the site has been under periodical surveillance.

018_CH_NW_Fundkorb

Description : Objects of all Types

Material : Wood, bone, ceramics and many modern things

Datation : Neolithic and 21st century

www.archaeologie.nw.ch

019_CH_VD_MCAH_Beil-ganz

Polished Stone Axe

Polished Stone Axe

This particularly well-preserved axe was discovered during the excavations in Consice (VD) “Sous Colachoz”, conducted within the “Rail 2000” project. The greenstone blade was polished carefully and is still attached to its ash wood handle.

019_CH_VD_MCAH_Beil-ganz

Description : Beil

Material : Green stone and Ash Wood

Datation : Middle Neolithic, 3672-3555 B.C.

www.mcah.ch

019_CH_VD_MCAH_Beil-ganz
020_DE_BW_Uni_Freiburg

Food for Thought

Food for Thought

Packed in cotton wool and locked in a glass container, the hazelnuts from Lake Constance have been stored for almost 100 years, in the Freiburg University collection of prehistoric artefacts. As is typical for the early period of pile-dwelling research, the objects were collected by laymen. Although their origin and dating is often unclear, these objects were acquired for educational purposes.

020_DE_BW_Uni_Freiburg

Description : Hazel nuts from Wangen, Lake of Constance

Material : Organic Remains

Datation : Time of Pile Dwellers (?)

www.ufg.uni-freiburg.de/studium/lehrsammlung

021_AT_Knochen_1

Neolithic Hunters

Neolithic Hunters

It´s a hit! 6000 years ago, this dear was shot with bow and arrow. Traces of injuries caused by a triangular arrowhead are visible on the skull fragment. Besides fishing, the hunt of wild animals was an important source of food for the prehistoric pile dwellers. Large amounts of animal bones found in the settlements prove the prehistoric hunting activities.

021_AT_Knochen_1

Description : Deer skull

Material : Bone

Datation : 3800 - 3300 B.C.

Others : Site: See am Mondsee, Upper-Austria

www.nhm-wien.ac.at

020_DE_BW_Uni_Freiburg

Lost and Found

Lost and Found

160 years ago, these two textile fragments were discovered, then put aside and pretty much forgotten. When they were recently “rediscovered”, it became clear that they were remnants of a prehistoric sling, a predecessor of the one used by the biblical David against Goliath, thousands of years later. The sling was created with the tablet (or card) weaving technique, and its special shape required a high degree of craftsmanship. This was no simple shepherd’s sling, but rather a hunter’s or warrior’s high-tech weapon. It is the oldest discovered artifact of its kind in all of Europe.

020_DE_BW_Uni_Freiburg

Description : Slingshot

Material : Flax

Datation : Bronze Age, 1000-900 B.C.

Others : Collection Museum Schwab

www.nmbiel.ch

020_DE_BW_Uni_Freiburg
022_CH_ZH_OrtsmuseumMeilen_Nota

Nota

Nota

Johannes Aeppli was a teacher in Obermeilen and collected these "antiquities" with a passion. He believed they were "the remnants of human activities that can shine an unexpected light on the lives of the earliest settlers of our area." At one time, he wrote to the president of the Antiquarian Society in Zurich, Ferdinand Keller, and reported his activities. Only four hours later, a delgation of the society arrived at Aeppli's doorstep. He showed them much of what he had collected and lead them to one of the sites where he had found the items.From letters from Aeppli to Keller we learn that the workers were paid on a piecework basis and that the finds to be collected reduced their cubic metre output. At Keller's instigation, the workers received a drink of wine in February and compensation for particularly beautiful finds.

022_CH_ZH_OrtsmuseumMeilen_Nota

Description : Notice from Johannes Aeppli to Ferdinand Keller

Material : Paper, ink

Datation : 23 feburary 1854

https://www.ortsmuseum-meilen.ch/

022_IT_Lavagnone_PFlug

The Lavagnone Plough

The Lavagnone Plough

The Lavagnone plough belongs to the Triptolemos type. This type of plow construction remained largely unchanged for several centuries. The Triptolemos plough is a tool suitable for light soils that are flat and were previously tilled. It turns the sod, which aerates the soil and makes it more productive. The Trittolemo plough was the only one used in Italy, during the Bronze Age, and it is the most common plough across prehistoric Europe.

022_IT_Lavagnone_PFlug

Description : Plough

Material : Plough: Oak, Yoke: Birch

Datation : Early Bronze Age, ca. 2000 B.C.

www.facebook.com/MuseoRambotti

023_CH_BE_Neuville_Haken

Are the Fish biting?

Are the Fish biting?

The special thing about this fishing hook are its two points. This type of construction is seen in only about 15% of all the prehistoric fishinghooks found in Switzerland. Those that look just like the ones today with the single points, were found in large numbers, and are testament to the importance of lacustrine fishing at that time. The hook with the two points was likely used for predatory fishes, such as trout, pike, catfish and perch, which were caught with a piece of live bait. The points on this particular hook have no barbs – which made it easier to remove the caught fish, and extended the life of the bait for some time.

023_CH_BE_Neuville_Haken

Description : Fishhook

Material : Bronze

Datation : Bronze Age

www.museelaneuveville.ch/

023_CH_BE_Neuville_Haken

The Voyages of the Wooden Club of Lüscherz

The Voyages of the Wooden Club of Lüscherz

In February 1952, amateur pile-dwelling collector Erwin Dubler, from Erlach, found a completely intact wooden club of 52 cm length, at a depth of 1.5 meters, in the area of the pile-dwelling site of Lüscherz Dorf. He sold it to the collector Carl Irlet, in the town of Twann, who had it properly treated and preserved by the Swiss National Museum in Zurich. It has since been on display in Irlet’s personal museum, which he had established in 1939. Fast forward to 2015: an email from the Halle State Museum of Prehistory (Saxony-Anhalt) arrives at the Swiss National Museum. Halle was looking for items for their exhibit on the “pre-history” of war, and had read about a wooden club, that was once treated at the Museum in Zurich. Only hours later, the Swiss sent a photo of the “Casse-tête” to their colleagues in Halle. A formal loan request by Halle followed, and the club soon travels to Germanyin a custom-made box. The museum in Halle displays it in a showcase lined with velvet, along with several smaller and larger “cousins” from France, the Netherlands, Germany and other places. Was the club proud? Twann certainly was! The club returned to its homein 2016, where it is now considered somewhat of a “star with international experience”.

023_CH_BE_Neuville_Haken

Description : Club

Material : Wood

Datation : ca. 3000 B.C.

annelisezwez.ch/fraubrunnenhaus/pfahlbaumuseum/

025_CH_LU_Wauwilermoos_Dolche

Prehistoric Weapon Export

Prehistoric Weapon Export

Two flint daggers from the Early Stone Age were found in Wauwilermoos. The two prestigious objects originate from Italy and Bavaria and are a testimony to wide-ranging bartering relationships.

025_CH_LU_Wauwilermoos_Dolche

Description : Daggers

Material : Silex

Datation : Neolithic / ca. 3800 and 2500 B.C.

da.lu.ch/

026_CH_FR_Murten-Segelboothafen_Silices

Rediscovery of a “Fine Blade”

Rediscovery of a “Fine Blade”

The teacher Jacob Süsstrunk, from the town of Murten, discovered and meticulously excavated this site, at the end of the 19th century. By 1930, the Neolithic village was considered completely excavated. But during underwater explorations at the end of the 20th century, further parts of the settlement were discovered.

026_CH_FR_Murten-Segelboothafen_Silices

Description : Blades

Material : Silex

Datation : Neolithic, 3600 – 2500 B.C.

www.fr.ch/dics/saef

026_CH_FR_Murten-Segelboothafen_Silices
027_CH_ZG_Museum_für_Urgeschichten_01_Otterswil

A Generous Sip

A Generous Sip

This delicate, thin-walled vessel has a diameter of approximately only eight centimeters, and was probably used as a drinking bowl. It was carved from the robust burl of a hazel bush. Such burls were frequently used for hemispheric vessels in the Neolithic period, because their complex grain makes them highly resistant to tears.

027_CH_ZG_Museum_für_Urgeschichten_01_Otterswil

Description : Vessel

Material : Wood (Hazel)

Datation : Neolithic

www.urgeschichte-zug.ch

027_CH_ZG_Museum_für_Urgeschichten_01_Otterswil
028_IT_Manerba_Dolch

Dagger Blade, San Sivino-Gabbiano

Dagger Blade, San Sivino-Gabbiano

Finely knapped flint blades, shafted in wood, or bone, or antler, appear to have been the Neolithic warriors’ insignia. With the beginning of the Bronze Age, the blades of such daggers are increasingly made of the new metal, only retaining their organic handles.
The oldest bronze dagger blades are sometimes, decorated, which indicates that they retained some of their former symbolic meaning.

028_IT_Manerba_Dolch

Description : Dagger Blade

Material : Bronze

Datation : Bronze Age, ca. 2000-1800 B.C.

www.riservaroccamanerba.com

029_CH_BE_Bern_Schmuckgeld

How did people pay before there was money?

How did people pay before there was money?

In many of the Bronze Age pile dweller settlements, we have found hoards of bronze ringlets, strung together in the hundreds. We assume that people used these, as so-called Jewelry Money. A single ringlet had a certain value, and could be used as a pre-monetary form of payment. People apparently liked to show off their wealth by wearing it as jewelry.

029_CH_BE_Bern_Schmuckgeld

Description : Three chains of ringlet

Material : Bronze

Datation : Late Bronze Age, ca. 1000 B.C.

Others : Sites of Portalban (FR), Auvernier (NE) and Vallamand (VD)

https://www.bhm.ch/en/

029_CH_SO_Museum_Olten_Beil

The World of the First Farmers

The World of the First Farmers

We are in the small village “Burgäschisee Ost”. Men, women and children are building a new house. 6000 years ago, stone axes like this were used to construct pile-dwellings. Through the use of reenactments, illustrations and installations, we breathe some life back into these unique artifacts.

029_CH_SO_Museum_Olten_Beil

Description : Stone Axe (replica)

Material : Stone, Antler, Leather, Wood

Datation : Neolithic, um 3800 B.C.

www.hausdermuseen.ch/archaeologisches-museum

029_CH_SO_Museum_Olten_Beil
030_CH_BE_NMB_Beil

Real Fake

Real Fake

After their discovery, the pile dwellings were a huge public interest in the late 19th century. Romanticized fantasies about life in the distant past were only surpassed by the ingenuity of some scoundrels, who supplied the booming antiquities market with clumsy counterfeits. This dolerite stone blade, for example, was simply stuck into a piece of contemporary deer antler, and sold to a collector in 1859. In fact, his item would have been completely useless to anyone, especially in the Neolithic.

030_CH_BE_NMB_Beil

Description : Axe

Material : Green Stone and Antler

Datation : Neolithic and 1859 A.D.

Others : Collection Museum Schwab

www.nmbiel.ch

030_CH_BE_NMB_Beil
031_CH_VD_Yverdon_Korb

Bottom of a Birch Bark Box

Bottom of a Birch Bark Box

Excavations at the site of “Clendy Bay”, in Yverdon-les-Bains, uncovered 12 containersmade of birch, or lime bark. This 20 cm diameter base is representative example of the found artifacts. It is made of plates of bark that were sewn together with threads of bast. This type of lightweight container could be used for harvesting, or the storage and transport of goods.

031_CH_VD_Yverdon_Korb

Description : Vessel

Material : Birch Bark

Datation : End of Neolithic, 2751-2723 B.C.

www.musee-yverdon-region.ch

031_CH_VD_Yverdon_Korb
032_DE_Museum Ulm_Ehrenstein

Enigmatic

Enigmatic

The nearly 200 limestone discs that were recovered at the bog village of Ehrenstein, in the valley of the river Blau, and the town of Blaustein, at first glance look like buttons. But their sizes are much larger, from 2 cm to 15 cm in diameter, and their weight is between 8 g and 260 g. Just like buttons, they have two holes in the middle, and they are decorated with radial etchings that were filled with black birch pitch, apparently for emphasis. Perhaps they were also used to fasten something or other, but what that was, remains a mystery.

032_DE_Museum Ulm_Ehrenstein

Description : Disc, double perforated and decorated on one side

Material : Limestone

Datation : Neolithic, ca. 4.000 B.C.

Others : Portrait created in cooperation between the Museum Ulm and the Stone Age Village Ehrenstein - ehrensteinzeitdorf

www.museumulm.de

033_FR_Jura_Lons_Textilien

Textile Production

Textile Production

Here is depicted a ball of yarn and a spindle with a thread of linen, as well as spindle whorls of fired clay and stone. All of them came from an early excavation at Chalain, and date to about 2700 BC to 2600 BC.

033_FR_Jura_Lons_Textilien

Description : Linen Cord, Spindle and Spindle Whorl

Material : Flax, Ceramic, Stone

Datation : Neolithic, 2700-2600 B.C.

www.lonslesaunier.fr/les-musees/

034_CH_FR_Gletterens_Messer

A Map as Precise as a Knife’s Edge

A Map as Precise as a Knife’s Edge

This object was discovered at “Pointe de Greng”, which is one of the best-known sites on Lake Morat, due to its extensive pile field. In his spare time, during the low water levels in the winter of 1921, the surveyor Winkler drew up one of the first maps of a Bronze age pile-dwelling settlement at the site. A century later, his highly accurate work is still an essential document for understanding the site.

034_CH_FR_Gletterens_Messer

Description : Knife

Material : Bronze

Datation : Bronze Age, 1100-800 B.C.

www.fr.ch/dics/saef

034_CH_FR_Gletterens_Messer
035_DE_LandesmuseumKA_Pechkiesel

Pitch Pebble

Pitch Pebble

Pitch was produced from the bark of the birch tree, and was the superglue of the Stone Age. While the pitch was hot and malleable, it was applied and spread onto stuff, with equally hot pebbles. The reason why so many of these specific tools were found in the Settlement of Ehrenstein, the only known site of the Schussenrieder Culture, and one of the few known “riverside” pile dwellings, remains a mystery.

035_DE_LandesmuseumKA_Pechkiesel

Description : Pebble with Birch Pitch

Material : Pebble / Pitch

Datation : Neolithic

www.landesmuseum-stuttgart.de

035_DE_LandesmuseumKA_Pechkiesel
036_CH_LU_Gammainseli_Zinn

That's not from my dog!

That's not from my dog!

This strange object from the Late Bronze Age settlement looks a little like dogpoop… However, it is a unique example of a tin ingot, from the Ore Mountains, that was used as raw material in the production of bronze.

036_CH_LU_Gammainseli_Zinn

Description : Tin Ingot

Material : Tin

Datation : Late Bronze Age

Others : Site: Sursee Gammainseli

da.lu.ch/

036_IT_Fiave_Hut

Head covering

Head covering

Made with pine and viburnum twigs, the working begins from a small opening at the top of the cone. An initial pine shoot and a fine cord of common reed are bent into a circle and covered with a viburnum shoot that is worked around it in a spiral. A second circle, slightly wider, is tied to the first by wrapping a second strip of viburnum around it, passedthrough the links of the first spiral, and in this way also hooking onto the first reed cord.
The unique and accurate working technique suggests that this item of clothing might have been a sign of high social status, perhaps belonging to an important member of the social group.

036_IT_Fiave_Hut

Description : Textile (Hat)

Material : Pine and viburnum twigs

Datation : Bronze Age, ca. 1650 - 1500 B.C.

https://www.cultura.trentino.it/Luoghi/Tutti-i-luoghi-della-cultura/Aree-archeologiche/Museo-delle-Palafitte-di-Fiave

036_IT_Fiave_Hut
036_SLO_NML_Figur1

Decorated Vessel...

Decorated Vessel...

...of the Ljubljansko barje pile-dwellers

Many of the vessels from the Ljubljansko barje pile dwellings are decorated with incised cross-shaped and circular motifs, which probably stand for celestial bodies: from the sun and moon (cir­cular motifs) to certain constellations of significance in the mythological and reli­gious beliefs of the ancient pile dwellers. Hourglass-shaped figures may thus have represented the Orion constellation, while crosses stood for the Cygnus constellation.

036_SLO_NML_Figur1

Description : Vessel with incised geometric motifs, fragmented

Material : Ceramic

Datation : 2700-2400 B.C.

https://www.nms.si/si/

037_CH_GE_MAH_Einbaum

Logboat

Logboat

This log boat was discovered as early as 1806, off the shore of the town of Morges. Unfortunately, it was the victim of a secret extraction attemptin 1823, that resulted in the destruction of itsrear section. The front section was also illegally removed, in 1877, by two Geneva fishermen. Despite a request for restitution by the State of Vaud, it was acquired by H.-J. Gosse for the Archaeological Museum.

037_CH_GE_MAH_Einbaum

Description : Logboat

Material : Wood (Oak)

Datation : Late Bronze Age, 1105 B.C.

MAHMAH.CH

037_CH_TG_Fisch

Always Fish

Always Fish

During the 1993 excavations at the pile dwelling settlement of Arbon-Bleiche 3, one of the pottery shards discovered still had some burnt food stuck to its inside surface. A well preserved fish scale proves, 5400 years ago, a ”Bouillabaisse” was overcooked in this vessel.

037_CH_TG_Fisch

Description : Sheard with Remains of Fishsoup

Material : Ceramics, Fish Scales

Datation : Neolithic

www.archaeologie.tg.ch

A Noisy Piece of Jewellery

A Noisy Piece of Jewellery

Wheel-shaped pendants were worn by Bronze Age lake dwellers probably as symbols for the sun and as lucky charms. This amulet shows thirteen decorative metal sheets in form of stylised humans. Worn on the body or clothes, they produced a rattling sound with every movement. Who knows, whether it was supposed to protect its wearer from harm or just attract attention?

Description : Pendant

Material : Bronze

Datation : Bronze Age, ca. 1050-850 B.C.

Others : Site: Auvernier (NE)

www.landesmuseum.ch

039_CH_NE_Latenium_Rad

One of the Oldest Wheels in the World

One of the Oldest Wheels in the World

The “Wheel of Saint-Blaise / Bain-des-Dames” was constructed during the Neolithic period, and dates to around 2600 BC. It is one of the oldest wheels in the world, ever discovered. For thousands of years, it was buried and preserved under the watery lake sediments. The passage of time destroyed the structure of the wood’s cells, and in order to restore it to a realistic representation of its original shape, the wheel was painstakingly restored during the end of the 20th century. In the laboratory, the damaged cells and their overall structure were replaced with modern and durable synthetic materials.

039_CH_NE_Latenium_Rad

Description : Wheel

Material : Wood (maple and oak)

Datation : Neolithic, ca. 2600 B.C.

www.latenium.ch/en/

039_CH_NE_Latenium_Rad
039_FR_Savoie_Figurinen

Figurines

Figurines

Figurines representing people and animals,, from various sites at Lake Bourget (Savoie)
During the “Fishing for Antiques”, as well as a recent excavation, several figurines were discovered. The anthropomorphic ones are shaped like "stars", or more proportional human, but also enlarged and hermaphroditic. Others, the zoomorphs, are in the shape of birds, deer or quadrupeds.

039_FR_Savoie_Figurinen

Description : Figurines of Human and Animals

Material : Burnt Clay

Datation : Late Bronze Age, 950-850 B.C.

Others : Inv. 896.720, 896.721, 896.722, 896.723, 896.724.1, 896.725.1, 896.730.1, 70.59.788, D2015.2.12.1 et .2, 896.726, 896.728.1, 896.729.1, 896.727.1, 70.59.998, 897.1159

patrimoines.savoie.fr/web/dsp_6161/accueil

039_IT_Fiave_Eimer

Wooden Bucket

Wooden Bucket

A receptacle constructed from conifer wood, made of a cylindrical body and a flat base, held together with interwoven pine withy. The cylinder was obtained from a section of tree trunk. The inside was dug out with a bronze axe and then smoothed, perhaps with a flint tool. Under the edge, partially damaged and restored in ancient times, there are holes for the addition of a rope, in order to carry or hang the bucket.
Typical of the alpine area, wooden buckets may have been used for many purposes. In this case, the small size suggests that it may have been used to preserve dried foodstuffs (such as salt) or to collect milk from the milking of goats and sheep.

039_IT_Fiave_Eimer

Description : Bucket

Material : Conifer wood

Datation : Bronze Age, ca. 1600 - 1500 B.C.

https://www.cultura.trentino.it/Luoghi/Tutti-i-luoghi-della-cultura/Aree-archeologiche/Museo-delle-Palafitte-di-Fiave

039_IT_Fiave_Eimer
040_CH_SO_Museum_Paechterhaus_Schwert

Early Practises

Early Practises

In 2007, divers systematically searched Lake Inkwil for archaeological remains. In the process they found a sword made of firwood. Protected from the air by the groundwater, the unique find was able to survive in the lake bed for around 3000 years. Most likely, it was a toy sword for children to practice fencing.

040_CH_SO_Museum_Paechterhaus_Schwert

Description : Sword

Material : Wood

Datation : Bronze Age, ca 1100 B.C.

Others : The sword will be loan to the Laténium Neuchâtel from 15 May 2021 to 10 January 2022.

www.museumpaechterhaus.ch

040_CH_SO_Museum_Paechterhaus_Schwert
041_CH_LU_Hitzkirch_Kupfer

Coppercat

Coppercat

Various metal objects and a crucible attest to the fact that during various Neolithic settlement phases in HitzkirchSeematt, copper was processed continuously. Some of the objects where found under water.

041_CH_LU_Hitzkirch_Kupfer

Description : Crucibles and Copper Devices

Material : Ceramic and Copper

Datation : Neolithic / 4th and 3rd millenium B.C.

Others : Site: Hitzkirch Seematt

da.lu.ch/

042_CH_VD_Yverdon_Micromenhir

Row of 45 Menhirs

Row of 45 Menhirs

At “Clendy Bay”, in Yverdon-Les-Bains, only a few meters east of the namesake pile dwelling settlement, there stood two rows of menhirs, 45 in number. They occupied an area of about 100 by 50 meters and stood between 35 cm and 4.5 meters tall. The site was discovered in 1975, and in 1986, the stones were re-erected in their original places. This site represents the most significant megalithic construction in Switzerland.

042_CH_VD_Yverdon_Micromenhir

Description : Menhirs

Material : Stone, Alpine Erratics

Datation : Middle Neolithic - Early Bronze Age, 4500-1500 B.C.

www.musee-yverdon-region.ch

042_CH_VD_Yverdon_Micromenhir
043_CH_ZG_Museum_für_Urgeschichten_02_Sumpf

Precious Dishes for Fine Dining

Precious Dishes for Fine Dining

Around 950 BC of the Late Bronze Age, the settlement at Zug Sumpf burned down entirely. The remains of ceramic vessels buried in the rubble are rich in ornaments and lush forms, and indicate that such dishes and festive meals had become important in society. This black polished bowl was crafted probably by a female potter, who was a master at her craft.

043_CH_ZG_Museum_für_Urgeschichten_02_Sumpf

Description : Bowl

Material : Ceramic

Datation : Late Bronze Age

www.urgeschichte-zug.ch

043_CH_ZG_Museum_für_Urgeschichten_02_Sumpf
043_IT_Sirmione_Nadeln

Bronze Pins

Bronze Pins

During the Bronze Age vestments and cloaks were attached to the shoulders, chest or hips with bronze pins of various sizes, shapes and decorations. These pins have a bi-conic or globose head, crossed by a hole through which a string was passed. Yesterday as today, clothing was embellished with trendy accessories.

043_IT_Sirmione_Nadeln

Description : Pins

Material : Bronze

Datation : Middle Bronze Age

https://musei.lombardia.beniculturali.it/musei/grotte-di-catullo-e-museo-archeologico-di-sirmione/

044_CH_NE_Latenium_Schnurknäuel

Don’t lose the Thread

Don’t lose the Thread

This piece of charred thread was found at the site of Marin-Epagnier / Préfargier. It was made of hemp or lime tree fibers, and dates toabout 3900 BC to 3300 BC. The thread measures about ten meters in length and was created with the help of a spindle. The charring of the thread has contributed to its preservation across the millennia.

044_CH_NE_Latenium_Schnurknäuel

Description : Thread

Material : Lime or hemp

Datation : Neolithic, ca. 3900 - 3300 B.C.

www.latenium.ch/en/

044_CH_NE_Latenium_Schnurknäuel
044_CH_TG_glas

Crystal Clear

Crystal Clear

As a teenager in the early 1920s, Willi Seger found this Neolithic arrowhead made of rock crystal in the lakeside settlement of Ermatingen-Westerfeld. Projectiles made from this raw material are extremely rare. Seger lovingly kept his treasure in a small Hennessy Cognacbox .

044_CH_TG_glas

Description : Arrowhead

Material : Rock Crystal

Datation : Neolithic

www.archaeologie.tg.ch

044_DE_BY_Staatssammlung_Pestenacker

Hammer @ Hoe

Hammer @ Hoe

The two roughly carved artifacts were made of deer antler and were found at Pestenacker. The holes served as sockets for a wooden shaft or handle. The bottom of the left object was cut to a flat surface, and may have been used as a strinking tool. The edges of the right piece run parallel to each other and probably ended in a cutting edge, which is no longer preserved. This tool may have been used as a hoe.

044_DE_BY_Staatssammlung_Pestenacker

Description : Hammer and hoe

Material : Deer antler

Datation : 3500 B.C.

Others : Site: Pestenacker, near Landsberg am Lech (Bavaria)

www.archaeologie-bayern.de

045_CH_ZH_Landesmuseum_Tür

Step Inside

Step Inside

The pile dwellers entered their houses through doors like this. The spur in the lower part of the door frame was stuck in the threshold, and served as a hinge. Straps were passed through the holes on its left side, that fixed the door to the frame. This door was discovered as early as 1868, on Lake Pfäffikon, and certainly added fuel to the "Lake Dwelling Fever" of the time.

045_CH_ZH_Landesmuseum_Tür

Description : Door Leaf

Material : Wood (White Fir)

Datation : Neolithic, ca. 3700 B.C.

Others : Site: Wetzikion Robenhausen (ZH)

www.landesmuseum.ch

045_CH_ZH_Landesmuseum_Tür
045_FR_MAN_Sonnenwagen

Fragements of a "sun charriot"

Fragements of a "sun charriot"

The figure of a small water bird is decorating this miniature drawbar, made of clay. It was found along with other chariot fragments. It is possible that this miniature was a depiction of a Sun Chariot that was drawn by a bird, since many other artifacts like it, were found in eastern Europe and the northern Alpine region, toward the end of the Bronze Age.

045_FR_MAN_Sonnenwagen

Description : Water bird figure and charriot fragments

Material : Fired clay

Datation : Late Bronze Age, 9th century B.C.

Others : Lac du Bourget, station de Grésine à Brison-Saint-Innocent (Savoie), Collection Rabut, donation of the Ministère de l’Instruction Publique, 1871

musee-archeologienationale.fr/actualites?displayMode=list&page=0

046_DE_LandesmuseumKA_Krug

Decorated Ceramic Vessel

Decorated Ceramic Vessel

The discovery of the prehistoric pile dwellings in the 1870’s, caused much excitement and interest across Upper Swabia. This jug was one of the treasures discovered during one of the earliest excavations in the Steinhauser March, near Bad Schussenried. Perhaps, back when it was new, this beautifully ornamented jug was filled to the rim with beer, and passed around the table, to fill the mugs of thirsty friends.

046_DE_LandesmuseumKA_Krug

Description : Decorated Ceramic Vessel

Material : Burnt Clay

Datation : Neolithic

www.landesmuseum-stuttgart.de

046_DE_LandesmuseumKA_Krug
047_CH_VD_MCAH_Rad_orig

A 3000 year-old Wheel

A 3000 year-old Wheel

The ash wood wheel of Corcelettes (VD) was discovered in 1987 at the bottom of Lake Neuenburger, under a 15 cm layer of sand. It is very well-preserved and was treated with a special procedure, that substituted the water in the pores of the wood with synthetic resin. The wheel was part of a cart, with two or four wheels. Various petroglyphs in Val Camonica (Northern Italy) give us an idea of what these carts might have looked like.

047_CH_VD_MCAH_Rad_orig

Description : Wheel

Material : Wood (Ash)

Datation : Late Bronze Age, ca. 1000 B.C.

www.mcah.ch

047_CH_VD_MCAH_Rad_orig

Birch Bark Pitch„Chewing Gum“

Birch Bark Pitch„Chewing Gum“

So far, over 200 pieces of „Chewing Gum” were recovered from the pile dwelling site of Hornstaad. The imprints of teeth left in the pieces indicate that they were chewed primarily by younger adults. Perhaps they chewed the tar to soften and shape it for later use as an adhesive or sealant, or for therapeutic reasons, to alleviate toothaches. Or, it was simply chewed for the fun of it, although its flavor is described as rather “tarry with hints of smoked meats”, and would probably not sell very well, today.

Description : Birch Bark with teeth imprints

Material : Birch Bark

Datation : 3917-3909 B.C.

Others : Literature: C. Fuchs, Gut gekaut – Die Birkenpechstücke aus Hornstaad-Hörnle In: 4000 Jahre Pfahlbauern (2016) 160 u. Abb. 416; M. Kaiser, Ein vielseitiger Alleskleber – Birkenpech. Ebenda 351.

www.konstanz.alm-bw.de

048_CH_NE_Latenium_Gynäkomorph

A Vessel with Female Features

A Vessel with Female Features

This gynecomorphic Neolithic pottery vessel was found at Saint-Aubin / Port-Conty, and dates to around 3800 BC. The breast- shaped applications are reminiscent of the breast-shaped sculptures on the walls of the so-called “ritual house” of Ludwigshafen (DE), and they appear to similarlyrepresent some aspect of the culture or beliefs of the ancient people that lived on the shores of our lakes.

048_CH_NE_Latenium_Gynäkomorph

Description : Gynecomorphic Vessel

Material : Ceramics

Datation : Neolithic, ca. 3800 B.C.

www.latenium.ch/en/

048_CH_NE_Latenium_Gynäkomorph
048_FR_Jura_Lons_Objekte1

Milk Processing

Milk Processing

Here are some artifacts that point to the processing of milk: cheese molds out of fired clay, from early excavations at Clairvaux La-Motte-aux-Magnins and Chalain. Cups from Clairvaux Station VII that once contained other milk products, and a stirring tool for the production of cream, made from the tip of a young fir tree, from Chalain Station 19, dating between 3900 BC and 2600 BC

048_FR_Jura_Lons_Objekte1

Description : Milk Processing Accessoires

Material : Burnt Clay, Wood (Fir)

Datation : Neolithic, 3900-2600 B.C.

www.lonslesaunier.fr/les-musees/

049_IT_Brotidol

An Enigmatic Tablet

An Enigmatic Tablet

Around 2000 BC, someone took this small clay tablet, drew some horizontal lines along which he impressed a series of circular signs, and then baked it. What did he mean? What was this object? A calendar? An amulet? A receipt? Similar objects are found in Italy, Germany and Austria. Their meaning and purpose remain Enigmas.

049_IT_Brotidol

Description : Täfelchen

Material : Clay

Datation : Early Bronze Age

Others : The object was broken into two parts, which were found 20 years apart (1986 and 2006).

www.museoarcheologicogavardo.it

050_CH_SG_Gussform-1

Moulders from the Alps?

Moulders from the Alps?

This mould is made of soapstone (Lavez), which can be found in Grisons. The specific type of razorblade that was cast from this mould has so far only been found in the Alpine region (Grisons/Upper Austria). Is it possible that the pile-dwelling settlement Technikum/ Rapperswil-Jona, was home to an alpine bronze caster?

050_CH_SG_Gussform-1

Description : Mould

Material : Soapstone

Datation : Middle- to Late Bronze Age

www.hvmsg.ch/

051_DE_BW_Wangen_Fischerhaus

Fashionable Hats...

Fashionable Hats...

...in the Bay of Hinterhorn
During the excavations at Wangen-Hinterhorn, in 1981, the archaeologists of the Baden Württemberg Department of Monuments and Sites discovered a “pointed hat” made of linden tree bast. It was buried in an archaeological layer, associated with the „Pfyner Culture“. Ribbons of fleeced bast were fastened to the base construction of the hat, to give it a “fur-like” appearance. Not everyone in the Neolithic could afford a real fur hat, like Ötzi.

051_DE_BW_Wangen_Fischerhaus

Description : Textile (Hat)

Material : Bast of the linden tree

Datation : Neolithic, ca. 3800 B.C.

Others : Hats crafted from linden bast wereworks of art. The pointy shape resulted from the tying together of the vertical strands at the base of the construction. After that, the hat was turned over and the fleeced ribbons were hooked through the loops of the hor

www.museum-fischerhaus.de

051_DE_BW_Wangen_Fischerhaus
052_CH_SH_Beil

Bling-Bling

Bling-Bling

When the Stone Age got its name, this axe was still in the ground. For a long time,the fact that Neolithic pile-dwellers already worked with metal was unknown. Copper axes were rather rare and valuable. Ötzi the Iceman had one in his bag, and apparently, the pile-dwellers of Thayngen-Weier (SH) were also proud owners of one of these prestigious objects.

052_CH_SH_Beil

Description : Copper Axe

Material : Copper

Datation : Neolithic

Others : Site: Thayngen-Weier

www.allerheiligen.ch/de/

052_CH_SH_Beil
053_IT_Desenzano_Messer

Lavagnone Harvestknife

Lavagnone Harvestknife

The harvest knife consists of a carved wooden body and four chipped flints (known as sickle-blade elements) fixed in place with plant resin, which compose the cutting edge. The handle is made of oak and it send is sharply bent so that the gathered cereal stems can be cut with a single stroke.

053_IT_Desenzano_Messer

Description : Harvestknife

Material : Wood (Oak) and Silex

Datation : Early Bronze Age, ca. 2000 B.C.

www.facebook.com/MuseoRambotti

Miniature Log Boat

Miniature Log Boat

This miniature log boat is made oflemon tree wood and was probably someone’s toy. It measures 34 cm and was carved from a single piece. It was found at the site of “Clendy Bay”, in Yverdon-Les-Bains, and it illustrates the shape of the real log boats that were in use during the Bronze Age and the Neolithic at the Lake Neuenburgersee. It very much resembles the eleven meters long, oaken log boat that was found in Corcelettes, and dates to the Late Bronze Age (ca. 978 BC)

Description : Miniature Logboat

Material : Wood (Lime)

Datation : Neolithic (Lüscherz), 2718-2705 B.C.

www.musee-yverdon-region.ch

053_CH_ZH_Modell

Archaeology as a Business Venture

Archaeology as a Business Venture

During the 19th century, Robenhausen was a center in pile dwelling research. In order to finance his excavations, the farmer and legendary pile dwelling “explorer”, Jakob Messikommer, sold many of his found artifacts to buyers across the world. He even sold models of “reconstructed” pile dwellings, in a scale of 1:20. He charged thirty Swiss Francs per model. Not cheap for the time; and still, Museums across Europe were buying like crazy

053_CH_ZH_Modell

Description : House Model

Material : Wood, Clay, Reed

Datation : 19th century (A.D.)

https://museum-wetzikon.ch/ausstellungen/dauerausstellung-pfahlbau/

055_CH_BE_Bern_Bärenzähne

Hunting Trophies

Hunting Trophies

Hunting with bow and arrow played an important role in the life of the early farmers, especially in dire times. The woods were home to wild animals, likered deer, roe deer and wild boar, but also to predators such as wolves and bears. Encounters with these could potentially be fatal. But if the hunter was lucky and prevailed, the teeth of their adversaries were turned into jewelry and proudly worn as trophies.

055_CH_BE_Bern_Bärenzähne

Description : Bear teeth pendant

Material : Tooth

Datation : Neolithic, 3800 - 2500 B.C.

Others : Site of Ligerz (BE)

https://www.bhm.ch/en/

055_FR_Savoie_Schwerter

Swords and Hilt Mold

Swords and Hilt Mold

Grésine is the only European site where both swords and a sword hilt mold were discovered together. The proximity of the artifacts may indicate a prehistoric smithy. Apparently, the handles were molded onto the finished blades.

055_FR_Savoie_Schwerter

Description : Swords and Hilt Mold

Material : Bronze (Swords), Sedimentary Rock (Hilt Mold)

Datation : Late Bronze Age, 950-850 B.C.

Others : Inv. 896.443, 896.444 et 897.1068

patrimoines.savoie.fr/web/dsp_6161/accueil

056_CH_SZ_Seefeld

Imported Goods

Imported Goods

Even 5000 years ago, high-quality raw material was extremely valued, and people went to great length to acquire it: These exquite silex dagger blades, with the typical honey-yellow color of the source, were imported from Grand-Pressigny (F), as far as 800 km away. The inferior raw material from the surrounding area could not be shaped this precicely and simply could not compete.

056_CH_SZ_Seefeld

Description : Daggerblade

Material : Silex

Datation : Neolithic (Schnurkeramik)

www.sz.ch/behoerden/staatskanzlei-departemente/bildungsdepartement/amt-fuer-kultur/archaeologie.html/72-416-387-380-2480-2532

057_CH_SG_Pfahl_mit_Schlagspuren

Hit after Hit

Hit after Hit

The marks of the bronze axe that was used to put a point on the wooden pile, are clearly visible. Hundreds of these piles were used to build the pile-dwelling of Feldbach Ost, in 1490 BC. The piles were recovered and conserved in 2003.

057_CH_SG_Pfahl_mit_Schlagspuren

Description : Wooden Pile

Material : Wood (Oak)

Datation : Middle- to Late Bronze Age

www.hvmsg.ch/

059_CH_ZH_Landesmuseum_Bogen

Hunting with Bow and Arrow

Hunting with Bow and Arrow

Armed with bow and arrow, Neolithic people went hunting. Their diet included deer, roedeer and wild boar. Bears, beavers and foxes were also hunted, but most likely for their fur. Most Neolithic bows were made of yew. Its wood is both hard and elastic, which made it ideal for manufacturing high quality bows.

059_CH_ZH_Landesmuseum_Bogen

Description : Bow

Material : Wood (Yew)

Datation : Neolithic, 4th millenium B.C.

Others : Site: Sutz-Lattringen

www.landesmuseum.ch

059_CH_ZH_Landesmuseum_Bogen
058_CH_SZ_Immensee

Tool, Ornament, or Symbol of Status?

Tool, Ornament, or Symbol of Status?

The bone fragment is decorated with fine incisions, and shows the remnants of a perforation at the end. Was this piece just a pretty accessory, an award, or a symbol of the status of the wearer? Or does it fulfil a practical function that we cannot see?

058_CH_SZ_Immensee
061_DE_BW_Unteruhldingen

Applied Physics

Applied Physics

Georg Sulger, co-founder of the Lake Dwelling Museum found this part of a pile dwelling construction in Unteruhldingen "Stollenwiesen". The wooden plank, a "pile shoe", had been perforated in a central square. The tip of a house pile was still stuck in this opening. This prevented the pile from sinking into the deep lake bed and distributed the weight that the pile had to carry over a larger area. In the end, it is like skiing: Skis prevent from sinking into the snow.

061_DE_BW_Unteruhldingen

Description : Architectural Element

Material : Wood (Oak)

Datation : Bronze Age, 9th century B.C.

www.pfahlbauten.de

061_DE_BW_Unteruhldingen
062_FR_Jura_Lons_Korb

Gable

Gable

A triangular gable made of hazel and clemantis wood, from Chalain Station 3, about 300 BC to 2900 BC.

062_FR_Jura_Lons_Korb

Description : Wooden wickerwork

Material : Wood (Hazel / Clematis)

Datation : Neolithic, 3000-2900 B.C.

www.lonslesaunier.fr/les-musees/

063_CH_BE_NMB_Keramik

Local Clay for exotic Designs

Local Clay for exotic Designs

The potter used locally available clay from the shore of the Bieler Lake, but shaped this vessel in a tradition that he or she must have learned somewhere between Burgundy and Franche-Comté. This would be a very likely explanation for the unusual design of the piece. The unusual combination of raw material, shape and technique, demonstrate the dynamic exchange of pottery traditions across a broad geographic area

063_CH_BE_NMB_Keramik

Description : Vessel

Material : Ceramic

Datation : Neolithic, ca. 3700 B.C.

www.nmbiel.ch

063_CH_BE_NMB_Keramik
063_CH_ZH_Schuh

Bare Feet? Certainly Not!

Bare Feet? Certainly Not!

In 2017, fragments of more than forty Neolithic braided shoes were found at the Schifflände-Maur site. A sensation! Up to then, prehistoric shoes were very rare and only single finds. The find prompted an international team of archaeologists to reconstruct detailed copies of the shoes, in order to gather more insights into the craft of prehistoric cobblers.

063_CH_ZH_Schuh

Description : Wickerwork, Bast Shoe

Material : Lime Bast

Datation : Neolithic (Horgen)

https://www.zh.ch/de/sport-kultur/kultur/kulturerbe/archaeologie.html#351293286

064_CH_BE_Bern_Raupenfibel

Long Distance Relations

Long Distance Relations

During the 9th century BC, in Mörigen, as well as across the Swiss midlands, it was the custom to fasten ones clothes with long pins made of bronze. But during the same time, a new fashion came from Italy – apparently, Italy had been a leader in fashion trendseven then – that replaced the pins with elaborate metal brooches. So, how did this fibula brooch make its way to the Bielersee? In the backpack of a trader or on the dress of a southern lady?

064_CH_BE_Bern_Raupenfibel

Description : Raupenfibel

Material : Bronze

Datation : Late Bronze Age, around 900 - 800 B.C.

https://www.bhm.ch/en/

064_CH_ZH-Textilien

To Err is Human

To Err is Human

Farmer Jakob Messikommer discovered some kind of textile fragments in Robenhausen, and sent them to the renowned pile dwelling specialist, Ferdinand Keller. Keller declared that the textile could not be from the times of the pile dwellers: “A loom is a relatively complicated instrument, even in its simplest form! How do you imagine a people who don´t even know metal, to have aloom?”

064_CH_ZH-Textilien

Description : Textiles between Glass Plates

Material : Textiles, Glass

Datation : Neolithic

https://museum-wetzikon.ch/ausstellungen/dauerausstellung-pfahlbau/

065_CH_GE_MAH_Tülle-1

Nozzle Fragment

Nozzle Fragment

This nozzle was discovered around 1870, at the lakeside station of Plonjon (Eaux-Vives) in Geneva. It is bent in the shape of a horse's neck, and was connected to a bellows that was used to fan the fire of a furnace. This discovery, along with other items, such as hammers, chisels, punches, molasses moulds, casting failures and other cast-iron wastes, is testamony of a bronze-maker's workshop.

065_CH_GE_MAH_Tülle-1

Description : Nozzle in the Shape of an Animal Head

Material : Burnt Clay

Datation : Late Bronze Age, 1350 - 700 B.C.

MAHMAH.CH

065_CH_GE_MAH_Tülle-1
066_FR_Allier_Messer

A Knife's Blade

A Knife's Blade

A knife's blade and handle with a length of 10.6 cm. The back of the blade is slightly bent toward the tip and the handle has a drill-hole in the center, which suggests that the knife was a jackknife. It was found in Lake Bouget in the 19th century.

066_FR_Allier_Messer

Description : Blade

Material : Bronze

Datation : Late Bronze Age, Bronze final III

Others : Inventary number 5.1.139

https://musees.allier.fr/

070_Bild2_Impressum

Imprint

Imprint

Idea:
Ludivine Marquis, Jonas Kissling, Pierre Harb, Barbara Fath

Design:
Steffen Kraut, lautschrift - agentur für visuelle gestaltung und kommunikation

Contributions:
Texts and images are the property of the respective project partners. We would like to thank them for allowing us to use them for the project "10 years - 100 stories".  

Please find here a list with all project partners

070_Bild2_Impressum

Datation : 2021

www.palafittes.org