INVESTIGATIONS IN THE JURA LAKES, AND ARCHÆOLOGICAL RESULT OF THE
"CORRECTION DES EAUX DU JURA."--At a short distance from the eastern
shore of Lake Bienne, near where the Zihl by several mouths found
its former exit, there exists, or rather formerly existed, a stony
elevation, covering an area of some three acres, which rose gradually
from a depth of about 20 feet to within 7 or 8 of the surface. This
curious cairn-like structure, being in marked contrast with the
surrounding lake sediments which here consist chiefly of fine mud, was
well-known to the fishermen as the "Steinberg," _i.e._ stone hillock.
Among these stones were many projecting heads of piles which, to
prevent injury to their nets, the fishermen were in the habit from
time to time of pulling out. Moreover, at various times, on or near
this steinberg, Roman tiles and some fantastically shaped objects
covered with chalky concretions were picked up, which fostered a vague
opinion that it was the foundation of a Roman fortress or lighthouse.
In 1854 Colonel Schwab and Mr. Müller of Nidau made a careful
investigation of the steinberg, the result of which was to leave no
doubt that it was the site of a lake-village which had been erected
over the piles, the stumps of which then only were detected among the
stones. These stones were of a pretty uniform size, not too large
to be transported readily by human hands, and in material they were
exactly similar to those scattered among the glacial _débris_ on the
neighbouring slopes. Interspersed in this cairn were, not only the
upright piles of round or split stems, singly and in groups, but also
transverse beams, which had evidently not fallen at random but had
been intentionally placed and jammed between the uprights to keep them
more firmly in position. The strange-looking objects turned out to be
bronze implements encrusted with such a coating of lime that their
metallic nature had been effectually concealed. The station quickly
proved to be exceedingly rich in antiquities of new and varied forms.
Not only the usual objects of the Stone Age, but even implements of
iron and fragments of pottery of unusual elegance were fished up.
This discovery was greatly talked of in the district, and led to
such a lively search for the sites of lacustrine abodes that before
the end of the year some half-dozen stations were identified in the
Lake of Bienne alone, not to mention a much larger number in the
adjacent lakes. Notwithstanding the difficulties under which these
lacustrine investigations were conducted, as dredging or digging under
several feet of water was both laborious and expensive, the number of
objects collected by the Swiss antiquaries in those early years is
astonishingly great, as evidence of which I have only to point to the
collections of Col. Schwab and Professor Desor.
It is often the case that antiquarian remains owe their discovery to
the mere accident of agricultural operations, peat-cutting, drainage,
etc. Such operations are, however, usually confined to small lakes
and bogs. The idea of partially lowering the surface of the extensive
sheets of water in the Jura valley, comprising the lakes of Bienne,
Neuchâtel, and Morat, was too chimerical to be ever entertained in the
interests of archæology. But what was inconceivable and utterly beyond
hope from this point of view, became, in the interests of agriculture,
not only a practical problem, but is now an accomplished fact. Between
the lakes of Bienne, Neuchâtel, and Morat, there stretches a vast
mossy district known as the "Gross Moos," through which the combined
surplus water of the two latter lakes finds its way to the former.
From the north end of Lake Bienne the surplus water again emerges, and
is conveyed by the Zihl or Lower Thielle in a sluggish channel for
some miles farther down the valley, where, before the Correction des
Eaux du Jura, it united with the Aar. As the surface of these lakes
is nearly on the same level, it is more than probable that in early
prehistoric times their waters formed one united sheet, which in the
course of ages became separated into three lakes by the interposition
of the sedimentary and peaty deposits now forming the Gross Moos.
Their connecting channels, the Broye and the Upper Thielle, owing to
the sluggishness of the flow, became gradually raised by the constant
deposition of mud, thus proportionately raising the level of the
confined waters, and consequently rendering the surrounding lands more
and more liable to submergence. Also, the river Aar, though passing
quite in the vicinity of the lake of Bienne, went a long way beyond it
before joining with the Zihl, and often caused great havoc by flooding
the richly-cultivated lands of the lower grounds.
To remedy these defects the Swiss Government entered on the gigantic
project of rectifying and deepening the entire waterway from the
junction of the Lower Thielle with the Aar to the mouth of the Broye
in Lake Morat. The scheme also included the cutting of a new channel
for the Aar, by means of which it would be entirely diverted from its
old course, and made to debouch into Lake Bienne by a straight and
much shorter route. (See Sketch Map, page 23.)
The hydrographical result of these works (which were begun in 1868,
and only completed a few years ago) was to lower the surface of these
lakes to the extent of six or eight feet. In the winter of 1871-2 the
operations began to tell on Lake Bienne, but it was some years later
before the others became sensibly affected. When, however, the works
were completed, the permanent effect on these lakes, especially on
Lake Neuchâtel, was very marked--harbours, jetties, and extensive
tracts of shore-land being left high and dry by the subsiding waters.
This was the harvest-time of archæology. Many of the lacustrine abodes
became dry land, and were visited by crowds of eager searchers; even
fishermen forsook their normal avocations, finding it more profitable
to fish for prehistoric relics. Government at last interfered with
this indiscriminate "howking," and passed a law restricting the
privilege of excavating to the authorities of the respective Cantons
on whose territories the stations happened to be. Thus the "Correction
des Eaux du Jura," as the undertaking was called, greatly facilitated
the investigations of the Swiss lake-dwellings, and contributed
enormously to the elucidation of the culture and civilisation of their
inhabitants.
[Illustration: Plan of Lake-dwellings in LAC de BIENNE, LAC de MORAT,
LAC de NEUCHATEL, and Correction des Eaux du Jura.]
In the following descriptive notes of the stations in Lake Bienne I
follow simply the order of their distribution along its shore, making,
as it were, a circular tour of the lake, beginning at Nidau, and
passing along its southern shore, then round to the other side, until
we come back to our starting-point.
NIDAU-STEINBERG.--This station was so thoroughly investigated by
Colonel Schwab and his assistants that little remained to be done
after the lowering of the water. The objects collected are both
numerous and varied, and being among the earlier of the kind brought
to light from the lake-dwellings, they have been fully illustrated by
Dr. Keller. (B. 15 and 22.) Among them were some heavy stone weights,
some perforated, and some with an iron hoop; discoidal stones,
with a marginal groove; a variety of corn crushers, polishers, and
hammer-stones, etc.
_Bronze._--Sickles and axes, both socketed and winged, generally with
a side loop, but without a notch at the top. Knives were numerous,
and some were ornamented with flowing lines and semicircles;
they were hafted by tangs or sockets, but in a few instances the
blade and handle were cast in one piece. Several spear-heads,
one of which is richly ornamented with a series of rings and a
serpentine pattern; a few arrow-points with barbs; several socketed
chisels of various sizes; numerous needles, hair-pins, fish-hooks,
curiously-shaped pendants, rings, and bifurcated pincer-like objects;
one hexagonal-shaped hammer with a socket, and another having a
small loop attached to the side like that of a celt. Some remarkably
fine bracelets, open at the ends, and hollow, and having the outside
ornamented with concentric circles, lines, etc.; others are solid,
or made of spirally-grooved wire. A number of so-called razors,
buttons, studs, broad-headed nails, spirals, the central portion of a
horse-bit, etc.
_Gold._--A small spiral of gold wire, and a square piece of thin plate
neatly corrugated.
_Iron._--A few conical javelins with sockets.
_Pottery._--The potter's art seems to have been carried to great
perfection. The vessels were of all sizes, from two to three feet in
diameter down to the most tiny objects. They were generally round at
the base, and required ring supports, of which many were found. Some
shallow plates were ornamented with squares, oblongs, and circles.
Various forms of spindle-whorls, some of which are made of fine paste,
and blackened with charcoal, like the finest pottery. Over twenty
clay crescents, represented by fragments, and one of stone. Some clay
cylinders, weights, and a few rude figures of a four-footed animal.
_Bone, Wood, etc._--A few bone implements, pointers, etc.; the side
piece of a bridle-bit of staghorn, perforated with three holes;
portion of a yoke, clubs, etc.; bits of clay with marks of wattle-work.
GRASEREN.--A small station concealed in rushes, and containing large
piles. The antiquities consist of a few iron objects, one being
a dagger with the handle ornamented with silver wire, and a few
mealing-stones and rubbers, etc. (B. 22.)
SUTZ.--This was a very large settlement, the piles extending over an
area of about 6 acres. It was connected with the shore by a bridge or
gangway, about 100 yards long and 13 wide. Within its area several
steinbergs were interspersed; and the relic-bed, from 4 to 16 inches
thick, was near the surface. The piles were mostly of oak, and
irregularly placed. The antiquities are classified as belonging to
both the Stone Age and the Bronze Age, among which the following are
the more interesting (B. 15 and 286):--
_Stone._--Hatchets of the usual form (a few of nephrite) and others
perforated; beads or spindle-whorls, one of quartz; flint arrow-heads,
flakes, and knives.
_Horn._--Among the horn objects were fixers for axe-heads, many with
a =V=-shaped split at the end, probably for being better fixed in
the wooden handle; perforated portions of staghorns, in the form
of hammers and clubs, three of which, in the Museum at Bern, are
remarkable for their irregular forms.
_Amber._--Two or three well-made beads.
_Bronze._--A sword (=Fig. 186=, No. 9), a fibula, a winged celt
with burnt portion of the wooden handle still remaining between the
flanges, a few hair-pins, and a hook shaped like a Roman key.
_Iron._--Two lance-heads like those from Nidau, and a curious
trident-like object. (B. 31, Pl. xv. 10.)
_Wood._--A bow of yew, quite perfect (length, 5 feet 3 inches),
portion of basket-work, and some wooden dishes with handles.
_Pottery._--The ceramic art is poorly represented here; only fragments
of a coarse quality, and ornamented with finger or string marks, are
recorded. (B. 462, Pl. ix. 4.) Two clay cylinders are in the Museum
at Bern, like those from Wollishofen (=Fig. 5=, Nos. 5 and 10),
together with some perforated clay weights.
In the neighbourhood of this station there are some ruins of Roman
buildings, a fact which is suggestive as an explanation of a quern or
millstone made after the Roman fashion, which is reckoned as a relic
from this lake-dwelling. From systematic investigations carried on
here in 1884, Dr. v. Fellenberg concluded that the station belonged to
the transition period, like Vinelz. (B. 462, p. 34.)
LATTRINGEN.--Dr. Gross describes two stations here, both of which,
from the prevailing character of the antiquities, appear to have
belonged to the Stone Age, although previous to his investigations
some bronze objects were said to have been fished up from one of them
by Colonel Schwab.
The first, or lower station, covered a space of some 5 acres, and
its remains are situated opposite the little port of the village of
Lattringen. It was connected with the shore by four bridges, the
largest of which was 65 yards long and 14 feet wide. The relics
collected by Dr. Gross are of the Stone Age, and among them are
staghorn haftings and a fine harpoon with 11 barbs and a perforation
at its obtuse extremity. According to Fellenberg, this station
belonged to the middle Stone Age period, as it has yielded no copper
implements, nor perforated hammer-axes, but on the other hand most
excellent nephrite implements. (B. 462, p. 35.) The collection of
objects from this station in the Cantonal Museum at Bern contains
among other things:--Daggers; chisels, harpoons, and pointers of
bone and horn; some perforated horn hammers and horn holders for
stone axes (only two of which have the end split); a number of flint
arrow-points, all flat based. A few stone beads and bits of rock
crystal. One small dagger-blade with four rivet-holes is of bronze or
copper.
Previous to Dr. Gross's report, the following objects have been
recorded as coming from this station:--Mealing-stones, fragments of
coarse pottery, a bronze dagger, a shovel-shaped bronze axe, and a
spiral ring, also of bronze. (B. 15, p. 95.) The upper station is 500
or 600 feet from the former, just opposite the erratic block known as
the _Sumpfstein_. It contained a small steinberg, and yielded fine
lance-heads of flint, a stone axe of serpentine sharpened at both ends
and perforated with an oval hole, and one or two horn objects. (See
=Fig. 186=, Nos. 7 and 11.)
MOERINGEN.--Judging from the number and variety of antiquities
collected from Moeringen, it must be ranked as the most important
station in Lake Bienne. The settlement occupied a sheltered bay called
the "Moeringen Ecken," and covered a rectangular area about 550 feet
long and 350 wide. The relic-bed was covered with eight or ten inches
of sand and mud. When discovered, and during the earlier years of its
investigation, piles were seen protruding more or less out of the mud,
and among them could be readily distinguished the ends of several
canoes. Investigations have been made here almost every favourable
season since its discovery by Mr. Müller in 1854, but in the winter
of 1872-3 Government took the matter into their own hands, and
conducted systematic explorations under the care of Messrs. Fellenberg
and Jenner. It then became apparent that there were two stations
in this bay--one belonging to the Stone Age, and another to the
Bronze Age--between which a well-defined distinction could be made,
especially in respect of the piles. The former occupied a position
nearer the shore, and the stumps of its piles were hardly visible;
while the latter was in deeper water, and its piles, less decayed than
the former, projected 1½ to 2 feet above the lake sediment. Both had
bridges extending to the shore, as was indicated in each case by the
remains of a double row of piles. But while the bridge of the Stone
Age settlement was 5 to 8 feet wide, that of the Bronze Age was 10 to
12 feet wide, and moreover it was much longer, being over 200 yards
in length. Dr. v. Fellenberg calculates, from counting the piles in
one or two selected places, that for the entire bronze settlement
somewhere about 10,000 piles must have been used.
The exploration of the settlement at Moeringen undertaken by
Government was continued in 1874, by which time the level of the
lake had fallen to such a degree that most of the bronze station was
laid dry, and many additional relics were added to the already large
collections from this station. Among the more interesting may be
mentioned some burnt boards and posts with square holes, supposed to
indicate the position and remains of huts or workshops. (B. 271.)
The earlier investigators, Col. Schwab and Mr. Müller, collected from
this station a number of objects, now deposited in the Schwab Museum,
among which are the following:--An iron sword of the La Tène type, and
a curious iron fork. Of bronze, there are knives, hair-pins, and a
variety of pendants. Some beads of glass and amber. Novel specimens
of earthenware; charred apples, grains of wheat, and beans; ropes and
cords made of flax and bast; etc.
The smaller station, according to Fellenberg, belonged to the middle
Stone Age period. A number of stone beads, some of white quartz, were
found in a contracted space, which are supposed to have formed a
necklace. (B. 462, p. 36.)
The two best collections from Moeringen are in the Cantonal Museum and
in the Federal Government rooms (Gross collection), both at Bern.
Of the very remarkable antiquities found here, Dr. Gross (B. 286)
gives a full account, classifying the objects under the following
heads:--
1. _Arms._--Swords (=Fig. 186=, Nos. 4, 5, and 6), daggers,
lances, arrows.
2. _Instruments._--Hatchets, sickles, polishing stones, discoidal
stones, anvils, spindle-whorls,
and weaving weights.
3. _Objects of Dress._--Girdles and belt-buckles, hair-pins,
fibulæ, bracelets, rings, earrings,
beads of amber and glass, etc.
4. _Objects belonging to Horses' Harness._--Bridle-bits of bronze,
iron, and horn; phaleræ.
(See =Fig. 191=, Nos. 3 to 7, and 13.)
5. Pottery, crescents, etc.
6. Sundry objects.
As specimens of the bronze relics from this station, I give the
illustrations on =Fig. 6=, selected from the beautiful coloured
plates of Desor and Favre. (B. 252.) The purpose of these objects is
sufficiently manifest without entering on a detailed description.
I will only remark that the unique dagger, the handle of which is here
only represented (No. 5), consists of a stout bronze rod twenty-one
inches long, pointed at one end, and becoming quadrangular at the
other, where it enters a socket in the handle. The free end of the
handle terminates in a fixed ring, on which are three movable rings;
and on its body there is a secondary handle, with a curious curved
appendage in front of it.
GERLAFINGEN (GEROFIN).--There were two settlements here also--one of
the Stone Age, covering little more than half an acre; and the other
of the Bronze Age, of much larger dimensions and farther from the
shore than the former. The stations had separate bridges, the remains
of which again suggested that these approaches were larger during the
Bronze Age. The Stone Age station was covered with mud, and the relics
from it consisted of stone celts (one perforated), flint flakes, and
some fragments of coarse pottery.
[Illustration: Fig. 6.--MOERINGEN. All bronze and ½ real size.]
The second station (Unter Station oder Oefeliplätze) contains a
steinberg which communicated with an adjacent tongue of land by a
bridge. There was no well-defined relic-bed, but the relics picked up
are of great value, among which are the following[3]:--A number of
nephrite and jadeite hatchets, a nephrite knife in its horn handle,
flint knives, a wooden spoon, a miniature canoe, four copper chisels
(B. 286, Pl. ix. 34 and 35), two flat hatchets of bronze, showing
rudimentary wings, a double-stemmed hair-pin (B. 286, Pl. x. 2), two
daggers of bronze, one triangularly shaped (B. 286, Pl. iii. 17), a
massive bracelet of bronze, some staghorn hammers, a scoop, some large
clay weights, etc. In the Bern Museum are thirteen beads of copper,
graduated so as to form a necklet; some arrow-heads of rock crystal;
an ammonite and another shell (pectunculus), both perforated; also
some perforated small bones, teeth, and beads of horn. (B. 462, p. 64,
and Pl. xiv.) Dr. Gross estimates the number of jade implements from
Oefeli at thirty or forty, the largest being four inches long, and the
smallest one inch (both of nephrite).
Piles were found in various spots in this locality; and associated
with one group were Roman remains, such as fragments of tiles,
pottery, coins, and bits of glass.
HAGNECK.--In this locality, near where the Aar now debouches into the
lake, and about one hundred yards from the shore, were formerly to be
seen some piles, but the relic-bed seemed to have been washed away.
Desor found some stone hatchets and a few other relics. The station
was connected with the shore by a bridge sixty-five yards long and
thirteen feet wide.
ILE DE ST. PIERRE.--On the south side of this island there are remains
of an extensive settlement, the piles of which run parallel to the
bank. A large canoe was observed here, lying in the mud, apparently
having been swamped with a load of stones, with which it still was
filled. It was 50 feet long, and 3½ to 4 feet wide. Near the piles
a bronze pin with an oval head, and ornamented with wavy lines, was
picked up. Another station was on the north-east side of the island,
which is now dry, and on which a large number of bronze objects was
collected; but there was no regular relic-bed, and as the objects
were gathered on the surface, Dr. v. Fellenberg thinks it has been
washed away. (B. 462, p.31.) Among the relics are a bronze knife, a
compound pendant curiously arranged (B. 286, Pl. viii. 3), a pair of
pincers, portion of a chain consisting of rings and bands, and several
fragments of swords, celts, and sickles; also an iron sword with the
handle of bronze.
On the south side of the Ile des Lapins there are some piles, which
point to this being the site of a station, but on the island itself
antiquities of various ages have been collected, such as Roman
roofing tiles and coins, a pretty gold ornament, and many objects of
Gallo-Roman manufacture.
LOCRAS (LÜSCHERZ).--Owing to the depth of water over the ruins of
the settlement opposite this village, the station, although known
to Colonel Schwab, did not assume any importance till the winter of
1871-2, when the waters commenced to fall, and the Bernese Government
undertook a series of investigations. The extent of the settlement was
estimated by Dr. Gross at about four acres, and it had been connected
with the shore by a short bridge. The relic-bed, four to twenty inches
thick, lay under a considerable accumulation of sand and gravel, and
consisted of a blackish stratum of organic _débris_, which appears to
have been peculiarly favourable for the preservation of the usually
perishable objects of human industry. It is therefore singularly rich
in such remains, and has furnished balls of linen thread, fragments of
cloth made of flax, heaps of grain, and various remains of cultivated
plants.
In prosecuting the exploration of the station it was found that
the relic-bed became more deeply buried the farther it was pursued
outwards; so that from 2½ feet, its depth on the shore side, it
gradually increased to 7½ on the opposite side. The piles were of
oak, beech, silver fir, pine, poplar, and birch, mostly in the form
of round stems. All these different kinds of wood appear to have been
used in nearly the same proportion all over the settlement except at
the north-west corner, at a place called the Steinberg, where the
piles were entirely of split oak stems. Another peculiarity was that
the piles were more superficial, and hence it was suggested that
this corner was of later date. Like most of the other lake-dwelling
settlements, the woodwork showed marks of burning. The theory of some
sudden catastrophe, such as a general conflagration, was strengthened
by the number of human remains--no less than three skulls and some
bones of the trunk and extremities--that were found at a depth of 3
feet.
Among the antiquities recorded by Dr. Gross (B. 286) the following may
be mentioned:--
_Stone._--Several hundreds of polished celts, about 30 of which were
jadeite or nephrite; flint implements of black and yellow flint,
and beautifully formed, such as lance-heads, arrow-points, saws,
and flakes; some round pebbles, about the size of a pigeon's egg,
encircled with birch-bark, and arranged in a row, like peas in a pod;
spindle-whorls, corn-crushers, etc.
_Horn and Bone._--A large number of haftings, probably from 600 to
800, many still retaining a stone celt or chisel; about 40 axe-hammer
heads, perforated with a square or round hole; two little combs with
three teeth; chisels, needles, awls, bodkins, arrow-points; a carding
implement made of a number of small ribs pointed at one end and tied
together, etc.
_Pottery._--A large number of entire vessels and fragments show that
two qualities of paste were used, a coarse and a fine kind. Among them
are bowls, plates, jugs--some having the ordinary handle and others
perforated knobs; clay weights, round, cylindrical, or conical.
_Sundry Objects._--Portion of a spindle with the thread wound round
it (carbonised), various wooden handles, dishes, and implements;
fragments of cloth, matting, burnt straw, etc. One small flat dagger
of copper is in the Bern Museum.
The following extract from the Government Report by Mr. Jenner, Dr.
v. Fellenberg's deputy (B. 119, 2nd ed., p. 203), gives a good idea
of the comparative numbers of these relics:--"The results of my
excavations, which occupied 27 days, and extended over an area of
20,000 square feet, at a medium depth of 3½ feet, the relic-bed being
from 2 inches to 1½ foot thick, were as follows:--
1. Stone implements 600
2. Staghorn do. 480
3. Bone do. 235
4. Pieces of cloth 50
5. Objects for ornament 45
6. Entire vessels of pottery 11
7. Stone celts and axes in their haftings 23
8. Flint implements 121
9. Unworked pieces of staghorn 430
10. Wooden implements 24
11. Ornamented potsherds 26
12. Clay weights 8
13. Celts of nephrite and jadeite 8
14. A number of net-weights in birch-bark.
Contiguous to the station just described, on its north-east side, and
separated from it by a dozen paces or so, there came subsequently
to light another station, described by Dr. Gross as "Une nouvelle
palafitte de l'époque de la pierre à Locras." (B. 336 and 347.) Its
area was only about a fourth of the former, and the relic-bed, being
quite near the surface, was easily worked. Two human skulls were
found here, one of which appears to have been used as a drinking-cup.
From the character of the relics generally, the settlement seems to
have flourished during the transition period. There were perforated
axe-hammer heads, with grooves and raised ridges, like Scandinavian
forms, and a few metal objects. The latter consist of three articles
of copper--a remarkable double celt of large size (=Fig. 186=, No.
10), a dagger, and an awl--and three articles of bronze, viz. a
sword, a dagger-blade, and a hair-pin. The other objects are of the
usual Stone Age type, among which may be noted as of rather uncommon
occurrence an arrow-point of nephrite (B. 347, Pl. ii. 9), and a knife
of the same material with one cutting edge (=Fig. 185=, No. 28).
VINELZ (FENIL).--This station, which is now entirely on dry land, was
accidentally discovered in 1881 by labourers while digging a ditch
to carry off water accumulating on the fields.[4] At a depth of two
or three feet of sand and gravel they came upon a blackish bed of
mud-earth, in which were detected a number of piles, the heads of
which projected upwards into the sand and gravel for about a foot.
Dr. Gross, who was informed of the circumstance, soon visited the
spot, and at once recognised the site of a lake-dwelling. It appears
that the locality is much exposed to the north winds, and that the
settlement had thus become completely covered over with sand and
gravel thrown up on the shore, as was the case with the station of
Wangen in the Untersee. During the spring and summer of 1882 the new
Pfahlbau was investigated by several experts, including Drs. Gross
and v. Fellenberg. The station is remarkable for the number of copper
objects which it has yielded to the systematic explorations ordered by
Fellenberg, and carefully conducted by Ed. Matthys, of Ligerz. From
the results thus obtained, the station at Vinelz is the most typical
yet discovered of the final Stone Age period (_Uebergangszeit_). (B.
462, p. 33.) The following are some of the antiquities collected, most
of which are in the Cantonal Museum of Bern and the Gross collection.
Among nearly 100 copper objects (including 46 beads, =Fig. 7=, No.
31) are several daggers (Nos. 26 and 28), flat axes (No. 27), chisels
(No. 24), rude knives, awls (Nos. 17 and 25), pendants (No. 23), tubes
and spirals (Nos. 22 and 30). No bronze or iron object has yet been
found on this station. Bone and horn handles, polished daggers, large
button-like objects (Nos. 20 and 21), perforated clubs, ornamental
pins (Nos. 15, 16, and 18), etc., are numerous. Perforated stone axes
and the ordinary polished celts are common (about 40 of the former and
100 of the latter being in the Bern Museum). Flint daggers, sometimes
worked at both ends (No. 12), are also very fine; two were found in
their wooden handles (No. 11). For more firmly fixing them a fine
band of reed or withe was neatly rolled round the handle. A variety
of flint arrow-heads, scrapers, etc. (Nos. 1 to 9), clay weights of
different forms, implements of pointed ribs, basket-work, etc. For
bits of well-woven cloth, thread, and fishing-nets, this station vies
with Robenhausen. A portion of a spindle has some thread still round
it. There was an entire fishing-net (carbonised) associated with a
number of stone sinkers.
The pottery (Nos. 29, 32, and 33) was ornamented with dots and
string-marks. One vessel had a horn-shaped handle projecting from the
body of the vessel.
Wooden objects are also well represented in the form of dishes, clubs,
handles, and net-floats. One portion of wood had some pointed flints
stuck in it with resin, which had evidently been used like a saw
(=Fig. 185=, No. 17), finger-marks having been cut out in the wood, by
means of which the instrument could be more readily grasped.
[Illustration: Fig. 7--VINELZ. Nos. 29, 32 and 33 = ¼, the rest =
½ real size.]
SAINT JEAN.--A little less than a mile from the lake, in the marshy
plain, some bronze objects were found, which point to this as the site
of a station. Below Landerdon there are also some piles, the tops of
which are much decayed and deeply buried in mud. Dr. Gross is reported
to have found here a sword of the Middle Ages.
SCHAFFIS (CHAVANNES).--This settlement stretched as a narrow band on
the left bank of the lake, and though known for a considerable time
it remained unexplored till the lowering of the water facilitated its
investigation. This was done by Dr. v. Fellenberg, in 1873, on behalf
of the Government. (B. 271.)
Three steinbergs were found on its site, two of which were close
together. In the vicinity of these steinbergs the piles were placed in
rows running outward into the lake. Elsewhere they were irregularly
but closely placed, seldom more than two feet apart, and penetrated
deeply into the old black lake-sediment. Few timbers were met with,
though twigs, basket-work, and charred food, were common.
The total length of the station was 640 feet, and greatest breadth 167
feet. The largest steinberg measured 217 by 65 feet. Several bridges,
from 30 to 60 feet in length, connected the piled area with the shore.
The station is now completely dry, and overgrown with vegetation.
On the steinbergs the relic-bed was quite superficial, being covered
only with a thin layer of sand and gravel. The organic remains, such
as staghorn haftings and bone implements, were of a blackish colour,
and so much decomposed that few could be preserved from crumbling
into pieces. Stone celts were very numerous, but unusually small, as,
out of several hundred specimens, only a few reached the length of 5
or 6 inches. The majority were only 3 inches long, and although well
polished and sharpened along the cutting edge, they were of inferior
workmanship when compared with those of some other stations, such as
Locras. They were all manufactured of materials readily found in the
surrounding country, with the exception of three jade implements (two
jadeite and one nephrite). Large slabs for grinding and polishing
these tools were remarkably abundant.
On the other hand, the station is prominent for the beauty and
elegance of its flint implements, many of which were, when found,
still in their horn or wooden handles. Along with the horn haftings
may be mentioned perforated hammers, chisels, barbed harpoons, pins,
awls, flax-heckles, amulets, perforated teeth, and boars' tusks of
great size. Among wooden objects the most remarkable are a wooden
door, still retaining portion of a polished oval bolt of yew which
traversed it horizontally (B. 336, p. 48), and a portion of a ladder
(B. 347). The fragments of pottery indicated not only coarse material
but rude workmanship. The clay is badly burnt, and it is uniformly
mixed with pieces of quartz or small pebbles of the size of a pea.
The vessels are roughly cylindrical, and have thick bases, but no
ornamentation, not even the projecting knobs so characteristic of
Locras. Some large clay balls, perforated in the centre, are probably
loom-weights, and among the remains are bits of plaited and woven
flax, which prove that the art of weaving was well known to the
inhabitants. Dr. v. Fellenberg, from whose writings I have taken the
substance of this notice, considers the settlement one of the earliest
among the Swiss lake-dwellings and much inferior to some of the other
Stone Age settlements in Lake Bienne.
A cup made from the upper part of a human skull found here has
attracted much attention. (B. 119, 2nd ed., p. 221.)
TWANN (DOUANNE).--It must be remembered that the west side of the
lake does not present the same facilities for pile-dwellings as the
opposite shore, owing to the steepness of the immediate shore-land
and the rapidity with which deep water is met with. Moreover, the
narrow strip of beach available for the purpose has become greatly
covered up with alluvial deposits, as is proved from a discovery made
at Twann. Here, at a depth of 15 or 20 feet, some workmen, while
making excavations in connection with railway works near the quay,
came upon a blackish bed of mould containing piles, pottery, staghorn
implements, etc., which, on being inspected by Dr. Gross who happened
to be passing at the time, was at once recognised as the site of a
lacustrine station. Mr. Irlet, of Twann, has also discovered another
station at Wingreis, in the vicinity of which the canoe, now so well
preserved in the Museum at Neuveville, was found. (See page 481.) The
objects from Wingreis consist of stone hatchets, flints, and horn
handles. (B. 462, p. 32.)
In 1886 another station, called "Bipschal," was announced by Dr. v.
Fellenberg as having been discovered by Ed. Matthys between Ligerz and
Twann. (B. 462, p. 35.)
VINGELZ.--Dr. v. Fellenberg states (B. 462, p. 32) that in 1874, when
the great canoe which for many years was known to be lying in the mud
near Vingelz was raised, a deeply-buried relic-bed was brought to
light.
Nearly 3,000 feet from the shore, and opposite the steinberg of Nidau,
there is what is supposed to have been a small station, on which a
few objects were found, among which is to be noted a great stone
weight with an iron ring round it. A group of piles was observed to
run from it in the direction of the Nidau steinberg, and hence it is
conjectured that a bridge formerly connected the two. (B. 15 and 22.)
Between Vingelz and Bienne there is a small steinberg, on which a few
arrow-heads of iron are said to have been found.
PORT.--During the excavations for the "Correction des Eaux du Jura"
some remarkable discoveries were made, especially along the Lower
Thielle, between Nidau and Meyenried. Immediately below the little
village of Port the remains of a palatitte of the Stone Age were met
with. The station appeared to have been of considerable extent, as
the piles were traced for several hundred yards along the line of the
canal. The relic-bed was 7 feet below the surface, and amongst its
_débris_ were found various implements of stone and horn. Among the
stone celts was one of nephrite, still in its horn fastening, the
handle of which was covered over with a bluish coating of amorphous
vivianite. (B. 446, p. 11.)