Lake Varese is irregularly shaped, about 5½ miles in length, and less
than half that in breadth. It occupies a somewhat shallow basin, its
greatest depth being 85 feet, and, although bounded on the north by
high hills, its banks are generally flat or shelving. Its surface is
770 feet above sea-level, and 134 feet above that of Lake Maggiore, to
which its surplus water is carried by the Bardello, a stream which has
its outlet at the north end of the lake. The district around is rich
and well cultivated, except on the south side, where the lake becomes
contiguous with an extensive peat-bog called "torbiera della Brabbia."
When Stoppani and his illustrious friends, along with Desor's
experienced fisher, Benz, commenced their lacustrine explorations in
Lombardy, they selected Lake Varese to start with, on account of the
suitability of its shores for such structures. On the very first day
(21st April, 1863) their labours were rewarded by the discovery of
the sites of two settlements--one at the south-east side of the little
island then called Isolino, or Isola Camilla, but now I. Virginia,[38]
and the other opposite the village of Bodio.
Professor Stoppani continued his researches after the departure of
his friends, and made further discoveries, not only in Lake Varese,
but in some of the other lakes of Lombardy. In November of the same
year Captain Angelo Angelucci, of Turin, was attracted to the scene
of these discoveries in Lake Varese, and henceforth took an active
part in the investigation of its palafittes. (B. 63.) Nor must I omit
to mention the Abate Ranchet among the list of the early explorers.
He discovered in the same year not only a new station on the south
side of the outlet, but also, in the following year, two others in
the adjoining lake of Monate. (B. 85.) At the end of the first year's
explorations we find, from the reports of Stoppani and Angelucci,
that no less than six stations were determined in Lake Varese, all
situated on its south-western shore. In 1868, when Dr. Camillo
Marinoni published a report on "Le abitazioni lacustri e gli avanzi di
umana industria in Lombardia" (B. 159), the number had increased to
seven. Although no addition has since been made to their number, much
attention has been given, especially in these later years, to their
investigation. The Sketch Map of Lake Varese (page 189) shows the
names and the respective positions of these settlements, which I shall
now shortly describe.
ISOLA VIRGINIA.--This is a small egg-shaped island lying along the
west shore, from which it is distant about 80 yards. It is 240 yards
long, with a maximum breadth of 100 yards, and contains besides some
fine trees, a house with two storeys, the upper of which is converted
into an archæological museum, and at a little distance there is a
café for the convenience of the numerous visitors that frequent the
locality. Its area is nearly 3 acres, and its highest point is barely
8 feet above the average level of the lake.
[Illustration]
Piles were discovered in the lake at the south-east side of the
island, in a space extending along its margin for about 100 yards, and
about half that distance in breadth. Two years ago, when I visited
the locality, the heads of piles were readily seen through the water,
just cropping above the sandy bottom. In some cases it was difficult
to distinguish them from stones; but a poke with the oar or a long
stick at once determined which they were. Professor Stoppani, in his
first report (B. 67), describes this as a steinberg, but the idea of
the whole island being artificial--an idea first suggested by Desor,
who found analogous instances in the Rosen Insel, Lake Starnberg,
in the little island at Inkwyl, and in the Irish Crannogs--gained
strength by the discovery of similar stumps of piles on its north-west
side. Although the local antiquaries--Ranchet, Regazzoni, Quaglia,
Castelfranco, and others--occasionally visited these lacustrine
stations and made considerable investigations, with the result of
adding to their private collections, it was not till 1878 that any
systematic researches were made with the view of testing Desor's
suggestion that the island was a gigantic crannog. This was first
attempted by an Englishman, Mr. W. K. Foster, of London, who happened
to be residing in the neighbourhood. In carrying out the necessary
excavations he had the assistance of Ranchet and Regazzoni, both
experienced investigators of lacustrine antiquities. Five trenches,
covering on the aggregate about 80 square yards, were dug in different
parts of the island, and in all these, piles, fragments of pottery
(one of which had the impression of plaited reed-work), and various
other relics of human industry, were encountered. In the sections
presented by these trenches the following strata were successively
passed through:--
1. Surface Soil for about 14 inches.
2. Vegetable Mould, of a dark colour 10 "
3. Sand and Gravel 21 "
4. Sand and Earth, with much organic _débris_ 16 "
5. Sand and Mud (the original lake-sediment).
The most noteworthy objects collected in these operations were as
follows:--In the first layer a Roman coin of Marcus Aurelius, and a
portion of a mould for a socketed lance-head (=Fig. 48=, No. 19).
In the second, two fragments of bronze. In the third, two polished
stone celts, with a portion of a third, and two clay weights. In the
fourth, a flint saw with a wooden handle, two bone pins, and some
sharpening-stones.
The piles were evidently in their natural position, and the conclusion
that the entire island had been a pile-dwelling was irresistible;
but the questions when and by what means was the transformation
accomplished, were as obscure as before. Mainly for the purpose of
clearing this matter, Sig. Ettore Ponti, in September of the following
year, gave instructions to have further excavations made in different
parts of the island. On this occasion 12 trenches were dug, covering
an area of about 230 square yards with an average depth of 3 to 4 feet.
The stratification and composition of the stuff were very similar
to those experienced in the former excavations. In this space 440
piles were counted, and Regazzoni calculates that at this rate the
original number of piles requisite for the construction of the entire
lake-village would be from 35,000 to 40,000. Some horizontal beams
were also found among the _débris_. Among the relics the following are
noteworthy:--A tyne of deer's horn, with a flint implement inserted
into the end of it (No. 3); a small clay weight shaped like a pear;
several objects of worked bone, as needles (Nos. 7 to 9), pointers,
chisels (No. 25), handles, etc. A knife (No. 5) and a dagger of bronze
(No. 6), and two oblong beads of coloured glass with transverse
grooves, were found in the stratum immediately below the surface soil.
[Illustration: =Fig. 48=--ISOLA VIRGINIA. No. 25 = ¼, and the rest =
½ real size.]
As a rule, the tops of the piles in these trenches were on a level
with the surface of the water, while those in the lake were several
feet lower--more or less, according to the depth of water. The
cause of this was no doubt the protection given to the former by
the accumulation of _débris_ around them. It was observed that the
uppermost layer alone had yielded Roman coins, but along with them
were objects of both the Stone and Bronze Ages--a juxtaposition
which might be accounted for by agricultural and other operations to
which the island has been subjected in historical times. The fourth,
or that which lay immediately over the ancient lake-sediment, was
alone exclusively deposited under water, as it contained some entire
dishes, and the associated _débris_ were just the usual contents of
lake-dwelling relic-beds, viz. the shells of hazel-nuts, acorns,
charred bits of wood, bones of various animals (among others the skull
of an enormous wild boar), as well as implements of bone, horn, and
flint, pottery, etc. The second and third layers were composed of
much the same materials as the fourth, but they appeared to have been
the contents of a previously-deposited relic-bed artificially heaped
up, as they contained portions of wooden beams which had no definite
purpose, but lay in the soil in all directions.
The relics of humanity collected on the Isola Virginia in the course
of these various excavations are so numerous that one of the two rooms
set apart by Sig. Ponti as an archæological museum for the lacustrine
remains of Lake Varese is entirely devoted to their exhibition and
preservation, where they have been carefully and neatly arranged under
the skilful care of Professor Regazzoni.
_Pottery._--As in the other lacustrine stations in this lake, there
are two kinds of pottery--one black, and made of fine paste, of which
most of the smaller vessels were made; the other is of a greyish
colour, but sometimes it has a reddish tinge, and contains a mixture
of fine gravel or coarse sand, which gives it a rough appearance. The
fragments and entire dishes in the Ponti Museum decidedly testify
to considerable skill in the ceramic art. Besides perforated knobs
and tubular borings for the insertion of cords (No. 17), there are
various forms of handles, as in Nos. 14 and 16, the latter of which
is interesting, as it suggests the primary stage of the _ansa lunata_
which is such a prominent characteristic of the pottery in the eastern
portion of the Po valley.
The diversity of ornamentation is also worthy of notice--raised
dots, nail-marks, perforated rims, lines, corrugated grooves, and
cord-markings, forming a variety of combinations (Nos. 13, 15, 22,
23, 26, and 27). One bit shows the impression of plaited reed-work
(No. 29). Another, an entire dish made of fine black paste, is a
curiosity in its way; it consists of three cups united, and having a
communication with each other by a small hole in the dividing septa
(No. 24). The coarse pottery indicates vessels of large dimensions.
There are also loom-weights, spindle-whorls (No. 21), some conical
objects pierced vertically (No. 10), and casts of wicker-work,
supposed to be the remains of the cottage walls.
_Bone and Horn._--Objects of this class are numerous, as polished
daggers, pointers, chisels (No. 25), needles (Nos. 7 to 9); also a few
perforated teeth.
_Stone._--Celts and chisels are fairly abundant, and among them are
one or two of jade. Though I noted only one fragment of a perforated
axe-head, the art of boring stone was known and skilfully practised,
as there are several spindle-whorls and other implements with neat
perforations (No. 18). There are also hammer-stones (some with
finger-marks), corn-grinders, and polishers. Among the latter are
large flat polishing slabs, and a few hand-polishers made like a stone
celt (No. 11), which are peculiar to North Italy, if not, indeed, to
the Varese lake-dwellers, as I have seen only one other out of the
district, viz. at Viadana.
Among the flint objects are knives, scrapers, saws, arrow-points,
chisels (like those in =Fig. 68=, Nos. 8, 14, and 15), cores, and a
large quantity of flakes (Nos. 1 to 3). For small cutting implements
flint was not the only substance used by these lake-dwellers, as there
are 36 fine flakes of obsidian (No. 4), and some arrow-heads of rock
crystal.
_Bronze._--The bronze objects in the museum, including fragments,
amount only to 15, and represent knives, fish-hooks, etc. (Nos. 5, 6,
and 12).
_Amber._--There is also a bit of amber which appears to have been an
ornament.
Small square or oblong pieces of wood perforated (No. 20) are supposed
to have been floats for nets.
The organic remains collected in the fourth stratum, which was
considered to be the true relic-bed of the palafitte, were submitted
to Professor Sordelli, who recognised, among other seeds and fruits,
the following:--Millet (_Panicum miliaceum_), wheat (_Trit. vulgare_),
bramble (_R. fruticosus_), and the vine (_Vitis vinifera_).
Among the bones of animals identified were those of the bear, wolf,
badger, beaver, wild boar, stag, roe, etc. The ordinary domestic
animals were also represented, and in addition to them I have to
mention portions of two human jaws which were found a few inches below
the tops of the piles. (B. 324, 326, 341, 343a, 359, and 437.)
Professor Castelfranco (B. 456), who has carefully studied the
phenomena presented by these repeated excavations, formulates the
following theory as to the succession of events which have brought
about the evolution, so to speak, of the Isola Virginia:--
(1) The original palafitte had been destroyed by a conflagration
towards the close of the Bronze Age or the beginning of the Iron Age.
(2) Its inhabitants were hunters, fishers, rearers of domestic
animals, and agriculturists.
(3) Shortly after the destruction of the pile-village, its subsequent
occupiers converted the larger portion of its site--which had already,
in parts at least, reached the surface by the gradual accumulation of
_débris_--into a veritable island, by heaping over it stuff dug from
the margin and especially from the landward side, where there is now a
channel separating the island from the mainland. Thus the upper layers
contain the _débris_ of the earlier people, mixed with sand, gravel,
and mud. This view is rendered probable by the fact that in one place,
towards the north of the island, the second layer was displaced by an
artificially constructed bed of large pebbles.
(4) The newcomers, to whom Castelfranco assigns the transformation of
the palafitte into an island, were the Ligurians, whose "sépultures à
cineration" are so numerously found in the neighbourhood.
BODIO.--The bay opposite this village contains the remains of three
stations, the most southerly of which is known as "Keller" or "Del
Gaggio," the next as "Bodio Centrale" or "Delle Monete," and the
third as "Desor" or "Del Moresco." All these are comparatively near
the shore, being only about 30 yards distant, and the central one is
about equidistant--some 800 yards--from the other two. (B. 327, p.
47.) The central station appears to have been a true steinberg, as its
area was covered with stones; regarding which Stoppani remarks that
formerly they were more numerous, because within recent times some
were known to have been removed for building purposes. At first more
bronze objects were found on Keller, and more pottery on Desor, while
the Centrale was characterised by the discovery on it of a hoard of
Roman coins. Subsequent investigations have not borne out these early
distinctions based on the character of their relics, and they are now
generally acknowledged to belong to the same age.
The coins found on the Centrale were mostly small silver pieces,
much decomposed, belonging to the last half-century of the Republic.
Stoppani collected about 70, and Angelucci, who explored shortly
after him, no less than 128. One found by Regazzoni in 1876 (B. 327,
p. 52) has on it, along with the head of Mark Antony, the following
legend:--M. ANT. IMP. AUG. III. VIR. R.P.C. M. BARBAT. Q.P., etc.,
which would make the date about 40 B.C. The hoard is supposed to have
been lost or deposited here long after the lake-dwelling ceased to be
inhabited--a supposition that is borne out by the fact that the coins
were confined to one limited spot, only a couple of yards square. In
1876-7 Sig. Ponti made researches on Desor which greatly enriched his
museum both in stone and bronze objects. (B. 327.) A selection of
objects from these stations is given on =Fig. 49=.
CAZZAGO-BRABBIA.--This station is situated opposite the village of
the same name, and at first it gave such poor results that Stoppani
called it a trial station, or an attempt to found a settlement. From
the researches made in 1877 it was found to be rich in remains, and
exactly similar to those at Bodio. It was, however, farther from the
shore, and extended parallel to it for about 150 yards. Its breadth
was somewhat irregular, and, judging from the disposition of its
piles, it would appear to have been two quadrangularly-shaped stations
nearly in contact with each other. Among the bronze objects collected
on this station are four lance-heads, a chisel, an awl, 10 fish-hooks,
four hair-pins, a fibula, etc. (B. 456.) There are also some fine
arrow-points of flint.
[Illustration: =Fig. 49.=--BODIO, CAZZAGO, AND BARDELLO. Nos. 24, 31,
39, 43, and 44 = ¼, and the rest = ½ real size.]
BARDELLO.--Near the mouth of the river are two stations, one on the
left and the other on the right shore. The former, called Ranchet,
after its discoverer, is a small settlement some 200 yards from the
mouth of the river, and 6 or 7 from the shore. It measures about 60
yards long and 50 broad. A large quantity of the bones of domestic
animals was found here, as well as some flint and bone arrow-points,
spindle-whorls, and various fragments of pottery. Ranchet records
also a small lance-head of bronze, a portion of a vase containing
some black stuff adhering to it (supposed to be remains of food), and
portions of another of fine black paste. The station on the north
shore, called after Professor Stoppani, by Regazzoni, is about 100
yards from the mouth of the Bardello, in the direction of Gavirate.
It is in the form of a parallelogram, 65 by 45 yards, and, like the
previous station, has the piles arranged in parallel rows. Among its
relics are:--Bones of the ox, goat, stag, and pig; flint arrow-heads,
scrapers, etc., of the usual kind; some bone implements. Two bronze
pins and a winged celt are sufficient to show that the station was
similar to the others in Lake Varese (Nos. 23 and 44).
Marinoni (B. 159) mentions another station opposite Gavirate, but
neither Regazzoni nor Ranchet could find any traces of it. (B. 327, p.
66.)
TORBIERA DI BIANDRONO.--Lake Biandrono, which formerly occupied a
larger area than at present, has on its north-west side an extensive
peat-bog, in which Dr. B. Quaglia has discovered the remains of a true
palafitte lying under a deposit of about 6 feet of moss. The station
is some 200 yards distant from the lake, and of a quadrangular shape,
with massive piles scattered over its area. It is remarkable as having
supplied objects which might be considered characteristic of all
periods--from the earliest polished Stone Age down to that in which
knives, spears, hooks, and spurs of iron were manufactured. (B. 327,
p. 89.) Other objects recorded from this station are polished stone
hatchets; arrow and lance-heads of yellow and dark flint; fragments
of pottery, some of which were made of fine paste by the aid of the
potter's wheel, and had extremely elegant forms (B. 423, p. 86); two
fish-hooks of bone and two oars now in the Museum at Varese. Four
curious objects similar to one from Torbiera di Cazzago-Brabbia (=Fig.
50,= No. 18) were found here. (B. 327, p. 87.) These relics have been
widely dispersed, some having gone to the Museums of Pavia, Milan,
Varese, and Como. An iron spur figured by Regazzoni is in the Como
Museum.
TORBIERA DELLA BRABBIA.--Some forty years ago the peasants commenced
to cut peats in the extensive turbary which lies on both sides of
the canal Brabbia, and it is recorded that objects of antiquity
were from time to time found, to which, however, little attention
was paid. As early as 1856, Angelo Quaglia directed attention to
worked beams in the peat, and since 1863, when such objects began
to be more inquired after, other piles were detected in one or two
places. The most important of these stations is near the mouth of
the Brabbia, on its east bank. Here, during the last few years, many
interesting relics have been found. While the usual flint and stone
objects (Nos. 2 to 8) are abundant, several others of a more novel
character have to be added to the list. Especially noteworthy are
some peculiarly-shaped fibulæ (Nos. 9 to 15), one being of iron (No.
12); and a curious object made of bronze rings (No. 18), supposed to
be an epaulette, is also from this station. Other objects of bronze
are some hair-pins (Nos. 22 to 28), an ornamental pendant (No. 17),
a winged celt (No. 21), and a ring (No. 19). There is also one flat
celt of copper (No. 20). Among the stone celts and chisels some are
now recognised to be of jade. (B. 423, p. 80.) No. 33 represents a
hatchet of chloromelanite. Quaglia figures a curious flat stone like a
wheel, with a wide circular perforation, and brought to a sharp edge
along its outer margin. There were also spindle-whorls of terra-cotta
(No. 29) and a quantity of pottery (Nos. 34 and 35); also two small
pendants of amber. Of staghorn there are two magnificent harpoons, one
of which is here figured (No. 32). Square bits of wood with central
perforations (No. 36) are supposed to have been used as floats for
fishing-nets. Among the osseous remains is the skull of a deer with
part of the horns attached.
[Illustration: =Fig. 50.=--TORBIERA DI CAZZAGO-BRABBIA (except No. 1).
Nos. 18 and 35 = ⅓, 32 = ¼, and all the rest = ½ real size.]
PUSTENGA.--Between Galliate and Doverio, and not very far from
the south shore of Lake Varese, there exists in the plain called
"Pustenga" a turbary of some 17 acres in extent, which was formerly a
small lake, and in which G. Quaglia (B. 423, p. 90) has detected the
remains of a palafitte. Among the objects recorded from this station
are two arrow-points, a knife and a saw of flint, six stone celts, and
a large jaw of an ox. Of the stone hatchets four are of serpentine,
one of jadeite (?), and one of chloromelanite. The latter is figured
by Quaglia. (B. 423, Pl. iv. 45.)