Chapter VI: Part 6

Here he continued the excavations for about three weeks with a couple of workmen, and in this way an area of about 120 square yards was examined, which he thinks was not more than a twentieth part of the total site of the lake-dwelling. The piles did not reach the surface, but they were met with abundantly, no less than 150 being counted in the space examined. The breaking-out of the war put a stop to these excavations, and the subsequent return of the water to its ordinary level prevented their renewal.

Mr. Le Mire has published an illustrated report of his investigations (B. 219), from which these notes are taken, but the accompanying illustrations (=Fig. 23=) are from a selection of objects exhibited in the anthropological section of the Paris International Exposition of 1889. In this collection I note that there are a few relics, such as the two bronze objects, to which Mr. Le Mire does not refer in his report; probably these may have been found since its publication.

Among the relics staghorn implements take a prominent place. Handles and fixers for stone weapons amounted to 49, and the two here illustrated (of five exhibited in Paris) still retain their celts (Nos. 6 and 8). There are several perforated horn hammers, one of which (No. 7) retained portion of its wooden handle when found; another is a foot long, and the perforation is nearer the burr of the horn which forms the hammer-end. A tyne 11 inches long forms the handle to a small stone chisel. Another object (No. 5) is a _unicum_ of its kind. It is a chisel of horn formed from the tyne, with the body of the horn forming a neatly-polished handle.

The polished daggers or pointers are also finely made, and almost remind one of those at Laibach. Twenty-six were exhibited in Paris, three of which are here represented, including the largest and smallest (Nos. 9, 13, and 14).

About a dozen triangular or leaf-shaped arrow-points, and one or two spear-heads of flint. Of the latter, one (No. 2) is remarkable for its size and elegant workmanship.

Wooden dishes formed out of the solid, all having a round base, were collected to the number of 15, and some large globular pieces of wood were supposed to be the primary stage of their manufacture. One dish figured by Le Mire is here reproduced, and shows a neat handle (No. 15). There were also wooden mallets perforated for a handle. Three bits of a bow, one showing the tip with a notch for the string. An axle-tree for a waggon Le Mire considers interesting, as showing a knowledge and use of traction by wheels.

Besides a few stone celts and chisels, most of which were still in their horn handles, there were a few flint knives (No. 1), three sharpening stones, two curious and novel objects of polished stone, one of which is illustrated (No. 10).

The pottery includes 140 fragments of dishes, showing various forms of handles and linear ornamentation.

Of bronze there are just two objects, a small awl or chisel and a much-worn dagger (Nos. 11 and 12).

Animal bones collected to the amount of 150 kilogrammes were not reported on by a skilled person; but, according to Le Mire, they belonged chiefly to the ox, stag, boar and pig; among them was a fine specimen of a bear's skull. Among other organic remains were a few grains of wheat and acorns.

MARSH DWELLING IN THE TOWN OF BORDEAUX.

In 1867 Mr. Delfortrie (B. 136) published a notice of prehistoric antiquities of the Neolithic Age found in the course of excavations for the improvement of the town of Bordeaux, which point to the existence of some kind of marsh dwelling in the very centre of the town. Attention was first directed to the matter by the quantity of bones thrown up from the lower part of the excavations, among which Delfortrie detected some worked ones, and associated with them were various stone and flint implements.

In regard to the osseous remains, he observes that the lower jaws of ruminants, which were relatively in great abundance, had their incisor teeth purposely removed, but the molars were retained. On the other hand, the upper jaws were entirely absent or broken, like all other marrow bones.

At three different points forming an almost equilateral triangle of 200 mètres the side, he procured sections of these street cuttings, in all of which the succession of strata and relics indicated similar conditions. At one point he gives the following details of a section:--

Mètres.
A. Earth and subsoil } 4·
B. Terramare of Gallo-Roman period }
C. Marine bed with shells ·10
D. Sandy peat ·50
E. Bed of ashes with oyster shells, worked bones, etc. ·50
F. Lacustrine sand ·45
G. Black peat with sand and gravel 1·55
----
7·10

The bones represented the following animals:--Great ox, smaller ox, stag, pig, wild boar, horse (a small kind), goat, sheep, and dog. Mr. Delfortrie thinks the bones of the horse show that the animal was not domesticated. No piles were discovered except in the Gallo-Roman period. The following shells were found in the marine bed C.:--Ostrea edulis, Pecten maximus, Mytilus edulis, Venus decussata, Cardium edule, Mactrea solida, Turbo neritoides, and Trochus cinerarius.

The relics were found chiefly in bed E., among the ashes, a few being from the sandy peat above it. These consist of pointers, needles, polishers, spatulæ, arrow-points, and an implement of bone called a whistle; flint saws, a polished celt also of flint, three small polished stone celts of serpentine or quartzite, and about a dozen flint knives.

The opinion of the narrator is that there was here a marsh dwelling of the nature of the Kökkenmödings of Denmark which in point of time preceded the Swiss lake-dwellings, but was posterior to the Reindeer Period of Central France.

In my opinion, the character and finish of the relics furnish no grounds for supposing that this habitation was prior to the early Swiss lake-dwellings; nor are we warranted, from such limited explorations as could be made in the streets of a town, to exclude the more probable idea that this was an ordinary palafitte, notwithstanding that piles were not observed.

FOOTNOTES:

[1] _Corr.-Blatt_, p. 14, 1884. _Antiqua_, 1883, i. pp. 31, 55; and ii. pp. 47, 54. B. 336 and 462.

[2] _Antiqua_, 1883, p. 61.

[3] _Matériaux_, vol. xvi. p. 257.

[4] Dr. Gross in _Corresp.--Blatt_, 1882, p. 99.

[5] _Antiqua_, 1884, pp. 42 and 85.

[6] _Antiqua_, 1884, p. 59.

[7] _Antiqua_, 1885, p. 165.

[8] _Bul. de la Soc. d'Hist. Nat._, vol. xi.

[9] In 1861 Mr. Troyon carried on researches, under the superintendence of qualified persons, to prevent falsifications, which were frequently indulged in by the railway workers. And as the result, he enumerates the genuine objects collected as follows:--

A complete hatchet with a wooden handle, horn-holder, and
serpentine axe; various horn handles, some bifurcated, still
retaining their axes and chisels; a portion of wood pointed,
fixed in a hatchet handle instead of the stone.
2 pointers of wood with horn handles.
6 hammers of staghorn, with remnants of their wooden handles.
8 bone arrow-points, with remains of _mastic_.
40 handles of horn for chisels, minus the tools.
200 axe-holders.
20 horn tynes used as chisels.
121 pointers of bone, from one to four inches in length.
46 chisels of bone.
4 boars' tusks, sharpened in form of a knife-blade.
Some bone pins and various ornaments.
145 hatchets and chisels of stone.
20 flint arrow-points and scrapers.
12 circular stones perforated; some rubbers and polishers.
Many bones of animals; but no trace of metal. (B. 39_a_.)

[10] _Corr.-Blatt_, 1881.

[11] "Recherches sur les Antiquités d'Yverdon," _Mitt. der Antiq. Gesel._, Zürich, vol. xiv.

[12] _Anzeiger_, 1871, p. 280.

[13] _Ibid._, 1878, p. 803.

[14] _Antiqua_, 1885, p. 162.

[15] _Antiqua_, 1885, p. 97; and 1887, pp. 35, 51.

[16] _Zeitschrift für Ethn._, vol. xvi., _Verhand._, p. 84; _Antiqua_, 1884, p. 167.

[17] _Antiqua_, 1886, pp. 12 and 21.

[18] _Anzeiger_, 1858, p. 57; "Supplément au Recueil d'Antiquités Suisses, 1860."

[19] The catastrophe which befell Zug in the summer of 1887, by which a portion of the town slipped into the lake, has completely carried away the site of this lake-dwelling station.

[20] This mould is in two parts, and it is remarkable as having been found at different times. The first half was found by Mr. F. A. Forel on the 25th of February, 1855, and the second by his son, Dr. Forel, on the 18th of October, 1859. (B. 31, p. 111.)

Second Lecture.

SETTLEMENTS IN EASTERN SWITZERLAND, THE DANUBIAN VALLEY, AND CARNIOLA.

The remains of lake-dwellings which I have hitherto described were, with one or two exceptions, situated on the borders of large lakes, and the industrial remains recovered from them were found more or less buried in the lake sediment. But these are not the invariable circumstances in which such antiquities are met with, as has already been noticed in the case of Wauwyl; but their differentiating points I did not then discuss, reserving them for this special occasion.

Every careful observer of natural phenomena must have noticed how, under certain well-defined conditions, the superficial areas of lakes are becoming gradually encroached upon, not only by the accumulation of _débris_ carried into them by streams and rain-wash, but by the growth of peat on their margins. This latter process occurs more frequently in the smaller lakes--so much so that some of them have now almost entirely disappeared owing to the complete filling up of their basins. Though the growth of peat is slow, and almost imperceptible to individual observers, whose lifetime is generally too short to mark its progressive character, it has proved a most formidable antagonist to lake settlements by destroying their lacustrine character, and thus compelling their inhabitants to abandon them altogether. The peat has, in some instances, actually engulfed entire villages, with the accumulated _débris_ of their industrial equipments, thus hermetically sealing up everything in one of the best antidotes to natural decay. Cities and mighty empires have risen, flourished, and disappeared, without transmitting to future ages a single record of their existence, like flowers born to blush unseen. Such, indeed, might have been the fate of many of these pile-villages, notwithstanding the favourable conditions in which their ruins have been sealed up, had it not been for the mere accident of peat cutting, which has disclosed so many of their buried treasures. These remarks are peculiarly applicable to the celebrated settlement at Robenhausen, with which I begin to-day's lecture.

LAKE OF PFÄFFIKON.

The small lake of Pfäffikon, which lies to the east of Lake Zürich, contained two settlements, viz. Robenhausen and Irgenhausen.

ROBENHAUSEN.--This well-known station, which has furnished specimens of lake-dwelling remains to most of the European museums, is situated near the middle of an extensive tract of pasture-land on the south side of the lake. Although its site is now several hundred yards from the lake, there can be no doubt that, originally, it was completely surrounded by water; the nearest land, that on the west, being some 2,000 yards distant. On the east side the old lake-shore is 3,000 yards distant, and towards this, notwithstanding its greater distance, there extended a gangway, the remains of which can still be traced. Underneath the grass there is a thick deposit of peat, which has been utilised as fuel according to the needs of the surrounding community; and a mere glance at the locality shows that the whole expanse is but an encroachment of the peat on what was formerly part of the lake. The meadow belongs to peasant proprietors, among whom it is parcelled into small plots. During the winter of 1857-8 Mr. Jacob Messikommer, the owner of one of these plots, discovered the remains of a pile-dwelling on his portion, and to its investigation he has ever since devoted himself. His efforts were greatly encouraged by Dr. Keller and other members of the Antiquarian Society at Zürich, to whose museum many of the principal relics have been sent. A few years after its discovery, the project of deepening and widening the outlet, which, as it so happened, passed through the lake-dwelling, afforded a splendid opportunity to archæologists for investigating its antiquarian remains. Messikommer was appointed superintendent of the proposed excavations. Since then he has on several occasions when the waters were low, as in the years 1864, 1865, 1870, 1875, 1882, 1884, and 1886, made more or less extensive diggings in different parts of the settlement for the purpose of clearing up obscure or disputed points. Altogether he has made good use of his advantages, and to his intelligent and watchful care we are indebted for a careful record of the relics, as well as a series of shrewd observations bearing on the character and duration of this settlement, which has made it one of the most instructive in the whole range of lacustrine research.

The space occupied by the settlement formed an irregular quadrangle, little short of three acres in extent. The piles were made from the round or split stems of trees--oak, beech, and pine being the prevailing kinds. On the supposition that they were placed at uniform distances throughout, Messikommer calculates from the data supplied by the Aabach Canal, which involved an area of about 4,000 square feet, that 100,000 piles were required for the construction of the entire lake-village.

In order to get at the relics, one has to dig through 5 or 6 feet of peat, in which no relics are found, with the exception of the piles, the tops of which nearly reach to the surface. Such pits are soon filled with water, as all the relic-beds are below the level of the lake.

As the excavations progressed, Messikommer made the important observation that the piles could be distinguished into three sets, corresponding with so many relic-beds.

The first set of piles penetrated into the shell marl some 10 or 11 feet below the present surface; and immediately over this marl there was a bed of greasy peat only 4 or 5 inches thick containing a few relics. Then followed a bed of charcoal with carbonised wheat, barley, cloth, etc., the result, according to our investigator, of a general conflagration which destroyed the entire settlement. After this catastrophe a new superstructure was reared, the piles of which were so closely set that, on an average three or four could be counted in each square foot. This new village appears to have flourished for a long time, as its duration is represented by a peaty deposit nearly 3 feet thick containing a variety of relics, as bones, pottery, portions of clay flooring, etc. Then followed a second bed of burnt materials, as corn, fruits, bread, and the usual industrial implements of stone--all of which point to a second conflagration. But, apparently undiscouraged, the lake-dwellers again undertook the task of reconstructing their peculiar dwellings, and Messikommer distinguishes this third series of piles by their not penetrating so deeply as those of the previous habitations. While the piles of the earlier dwellings penetrated into the shell marl, those of the third structure fell short of the former by 2½ feet and terminated in the intervening accumulated _débris_. On the other hand, however, their tops reached higher in the peat, coming nearly to the present surface. Further, he observed that it was only in the third settlement that the piles were split, those of the two former being round and much more decayed. Also, corresponding to its duration, there was a deposit of peat 3 feet in depth containing various relics, but no evidence of a conflagration, and above this point the peat was entirely destitute of the remains of human industry. It would thus appear that the lake-dwellers voluntarily abandoned their village, either on account of the accumulation of peat or because, in the exigencies of civilisation, they found more congenial conditions of habitation elsewhere.

During the excavations in the Aabach canal the above facts were amply demonstrated, as, indeed, they can be at the present time by any one who chooses to make the necessary excavations, permission for which the proprietor freely gives.

From the peculiar grouping and distribution of the relics over certain areas Mr. Messikommer came to the conclusion that while each cottage had its special appliances, as a hearth, a millstone, sharpening stones, and weaving materials, there were other relics specially localised. Thus there were large quantities of corn in one place, dried fruits in another, flax in a third, etc. He also learned to recognise from the kind of litter used, and the droppings of the animals, where the stalls for cattle, sheep, and goats were located; which, according to him, were in the intervals between the cottages. Bones, scales of fish, dried fruits, water-chestnuts, beech and hazel-nuts, acorns, and other remains of food, were very abundantly met with. The following are some of the more interesting relics from this vast deposit of the industrial remains of many ages:--

_Wooden Objects._--A bow of yew, five feet long, still retaining the notch at both ends for the string; another specimen measures only 3½ feet in length. A large tub-like dish, nearly 16 inches in diameter, and a variety of ladles. A yoke for cattle, made of a hazel branch. A large door of wood, so arranged as to turn on a pivot, and measuring 4 feet 9 inches by 2½ feet wide, and 1½ inch thick; a canoe 12 feet long, 2½ feet wide, and 5 inches deep; a large assortment of handles, knives (=Fig. 24=, No. 15), clubs (No. 26), dishes, suspension hooks, etc.

_Horn and Bone._--Haftings for stone axes and chisels (Nos. 8 and 9), daggers, chisels, perforated axe-hammers (No. 12), arrow-points (No. 2), agricultural implements, small cup (No. 7), etc.

_Stone._--Axes of nephrite are scarce, but they are abundant of the ordinary materials (No. 23)--some are perforated; flint saws in their handles, hammer-stones (No. 10), pendants (No. 3), a stone disc polished and perforated in the centre with a round hole (No. 13), arrow-points and scrapers of flint (No. 1), two small objects of redstone perforated with a series of holes (Nos. 5 and 6).

_Pottery._--Earthenware cups, spoons, and various kinds of vessels (Nos. 14, 16, 17, and 18). Particularly noteworthy is one with a conical base requiring a ring-support (No. 18). Several coarse crucibles with handles (No. 22). When the first of these objects was discovered, it was supposed to be a large spoon, but latterly traces of copper were found in the pores of one, and thus their true nature was recognised. These crucibles were found a few years after the discovery of the lake-dwelling, and although Messikommer was constantly on the look-out for metal objects it was not till 1882 that his search was rewarded. This was a small copper celt of the flat type (No. 4), but as it was in stuff thrown out of the trenches for some time, it was impossible to say to which settlement it belonged. (B. 383, p. 324.) In 1884 Messikommer announced that a crucible which had evidently been used was found in the stratum of _débris_ corresponding with the second settlement at Robenhausen.[21]

On the 4th of October, 1887 (B. 454), Mr. H. Messikommer, while making excavations in an undisturbed part of this lake-dwelling, found near the surface of the peat, and on a level with the tops of the piles, another hatchet of the flat type made of bronze (No. 11). It is clear from these respective finds that the Robenhausen lake-dwelling came to an end before bronze came into general use.

_Weaving Materials._--A great many specimens of flax, yarn ropes, balls of thread, bits of ribbon, and variously-woven cloths, fishing and hair nets,[22] plaited borders, fringes, and mats (=Fig. 25=). Loom-weights (=Fig. 24=, Nos. 20 and 21) and clay pirns were also met with, but, singularly enough, hardly any spindle-whorls. It is not very clear in what position these recorded relics have been found; but in 1882, when the water happened to be very low, the lowest relic-bed was carefully searched, and similar remains were found in it. In consequence of these finds, Messikommer announced, in 1882 (B. 383a, p. 379), that he was convinced that all manner of weaving was thoroughly known at the very commencement of the Robenhausen lake-dwelling.

The third settlement has yielded very little cloth or thread, probably owing to the fact that no conflagration took place, by the charring of which such remains are preserved from decomposition. On the other hand, jade implements, among which is an arrow-head of nephrite, and some 60 seeds, and fruits, have been collected. Among the latter the water-chestnut (_Trapa natans_) may be especially noted, as it no longer grows in the locality. (B. 462.)

IRGENHAUSEN.--Only one other settlement has been recognised as a true lake-dwelling in this lake-basin, viz. Irgenhausen, situated about half an hour's walk to the east of Robenhausen. The station ran parallel to the shore for a distance of about 300 feet, with a breadth of only 30 feet. The relics found on it are similar in character to those from Robenhausen, the most remarkable of which are specimens of embroidered cloth and checked muslins. (B. 126, Pl. xvi. Fig. 2 and 2a.) Messikommer believes that only one row of cottages occupied this site. Almost the whole site of this lake-dwelling has disappeared into the depths since 1881, and can no longer be found.[23] Only a yawning deep (_eine gähnende Tiefe_) is now to be seen where formerly stood the remains of the Pfahlbau. This phenomenon is, however, not singular in the Swiss lakes, as evidence of which we have the recent catastrophe in Lake Zug, which demolished not only the site of a prehistoric lake-dwelling, but also a large part of the town of Zug.

Close to the water's edge on the south shore, and about ten minutes' walk directly north of Robenhausen, there is an artificial mound called Himmereich, which formerly was supposed to be the site of a pile-dwelling. It is constructed of small and large stones, among which flint saws, arrow-points, and pottery of the lake-dwelling type, were found associated with Roman tiles and pottery (_terra sigillata_). There were, however, no piles or any evidence of structural dwellings, and the opinion now generally held in regard to it is that it was a pre-Roman Refugium, which subsequently fell into the hands of the Romans.[24] Remains of a Roman station are also close to Irgenhausen, which might have something to do with the Himmereich mound. (B. 462.)

The records of the numerous discoveries made at Robenhausen from time to time, according to the favourableness of the weather, are, like the relics themselves, widely scattered. In addition to the reports of Keller and J. Messikommer (B. 22, 34, 40, 61, 126, 336, and 462) in the proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Zürich, we have a number of further notices in various journals, such as _Anzeiger_, _Antiqua_, _Das Ausland_, etc. (B. 143a and 143b, 154, 256, 383, 385a and 385b, 402, 403, 406c and 406d, 434c, 449b, 454b, etc.), from which more or less important information is to be gleaned.

EGELSEE, NEAR FRAUENFIELD.

NIEDERWYL.--The settlement of Niederwyl was situated in a small basin covering only about 60 acres, which, though now entirely overgrown with peat, must have been formerly a lake, as its ancient name Egelsee implies. Immediately to the south there is an open valley, from which it is separated by a narrow ridge of land, through which its proprietors made a deep excavation for its better drainage, thereby facilitating the removal of the peat. While the peasants were thus occupied, they came upon a portion of the basin near its centre, where the peat began to thin out; and as they advanced, it turned out that there was something like a mound entirely submerged in the peat, and composed of clay, wooden beams, stones, charcoal, and all sorts of rubbish. On the centre of this mound the depth of peat was only 2 or 3 feet, while all around it amounted to 8 or 10 feet. This curious elevation was simply passed over by the workmen after removing its covering of peat; and so it remained exposed, till one day the Reverend Mr. Pupikofer happened to pass along the moor, when he recognised its archæological importance. This was in 1862, and immediately the Historical Society of Thurgau arranged to have the matter investigated; and Mr. Jacob Messikommer, whose experience of the lake-dwelling at Robenhausen had made him an authority on such matters, was asked to conduct the necessary researches. Upon making sections through the exposed part of this mound, he found an artificial sub-structure of faggot-sticks, laid transversely, and mixed with upright piles which penetrated to the original lake-bottom. It was fortunate, however, that the whole of the mound had not been bared of peat, and Messikommer wisely selected an undisturbed portion for his subsequent excavations. The following quotation from his report will convey a better idea of these structures than any abstract I could make:--

"When I began the excavation with a few workmen on the 18th of June, I was surprised to find, under a pavement of clay and gravel, from 2 to 4 inches thick, and from the top of which 3 feet of peat had been removed, a structure of faggot-sticks, regularly laid and perfectly solid; and as the wood was exceedingly soft, we had to use every care in uncovering as large a portion of it as we could. We first bared a space, which was in perfect condition, 20 feet long, 6 feet wide at the ends, and 10 feet wide in the middle. The upper platform was of split timber or boards of oak, laid down with great care, and it rested on round timber, or faggot-sticks, from 3 to 4 inches in diameter, which were surrounded with piles. The back part of the space was covered with charcoal, and was somewhat charred; there were also found tolerably large stones (hearth-stones) in their original position. A most striking fact was that the lowest part of the side wall was still standing; it consisted of a kind of shutter pushed in between the upright piles surrounding the space. On this I had other portions uncovered, and everywhere met with the same construction, only differing in having the platform or floor made of faggot-sticks instead of boards. Here and there the floor had sunk considerably, often one or one inch and a half in six inches.

"This place was then left to be examined by the members of the associations of Thurgau and Zürich, and excavations were made in another place to examine the sub-structure. The result proved no less interesting; for 1 foot deep, under the first platform, we came upon a second; a foot deeper we found a third; then a fourth, and so on; so that the arrangement is similar to that of Wauwyl. The huts were placed on masses of wood, consisting of five or six platforms, one above the other, the spaces between which were filled in with brushwood and branches of trees, chiefly alder, rushes, gravel, and clay. We were surprised to meet with bones, cones of earthenware, and a great wooden mallet between the platforms; we also found woven cloth under the fifth platform, and charcoal close to the bed of the lake. From this I conclude that the platforms were not made at the same time, but at intervals, one after the other; or that they had been repaired, a portion at a time, as we found single charred stems under fresh wood." (B. 119, 2nd ed., p. 77.)

In another section Messikommer observed a slight variation in the fascine structures above described, which he thus explains: "What I have called the lattice or trellis work consisted of thin stems of trees, which were not laid close together, but at intervals of from one to two inches apart; the uppermost stems rested on others lying under them at right angles, and these again on others parallel with those on the upper layer. The spaces between the timbers were filled in with charcoal and burnt clay."

Each structure seemed to have been adapted for one cottage, as between them there were narrow spaces which had got filled up with _débris_, and contained relics such as broken stone hatchets, carbonised cloth and fruits, etc.

"We cannot imagine," continues Messikommer, "that this settlement was destroyed by fire, for although we occasionally met with burnt beams, not a single trace of conflagration was to be seen in the upright piles, which projected as much as 2½ feet above the floor--nay, even in most of them the bark was still in good preservation.

"The products of the potters art were in general very coarse, and yet we found a few fragments which had been ornamented, and also parts of the rims of vessels made with washed or purified clay, and without quartz grains. Fragments of vessels also were found neatly polished, blackened, and with handles of a convenient form. No smaller implements were met with, such as pins, little chisels, etc. It is very singular that so few bones were found; the cow, stag, and the pig were the only animals the remains of which were discovered here.

"At the bottom of some broken earthenware vessels there still remained grains of wheat and barley and hazel-nuts. Doubtless all the food, whether animal or vegetable, was kept in large or small vessels of earthenware."

Subsequently, on two occasions, Messikommer was asked by archæological societies to give a practical exposition of this interesting _Packwerkbau_ for the edification of their members--once in 1872, when the meeting of the Swiss Natural History Society was held at Frauenfield; and again in 1877, when the German Anthropological Association met at Constance. (B. 406c.)

On all these occasions Messikommer paid particular attention to the size and kind of cottages the lake-dwellers possessed. In 1862, from the stumps of piles protruding through a portion of undisturbed flooring, he estimated the size of the habitable area for each cottage at 24 feet long by 18 feet broad. On these floorings were seen the remains of food and industry, just as fresh as if the people had recently left the place. ("Die Mühle mit Gerste und Weizen daneben, als wäre sie erst gestern noch bewohnt gewesen.") He believes that each cottage possessed not only its own domestic utensils but also its weaving and corn-grinding machines, etc.

The area occupied by the entire settlement was 20,000 square feet, and the nearest shore, when the basin was a lake, would be 30 or 40 yards distant.

The industrial remains collected from time to time at Niederwyl consist of:--Wheat, barley, flax, cakes of bread, wooden implements, clay weights (=Fig. 26=, No. 3), stone hatchets (Nos. 7 and 8), flint saws (No. 1) and scrapers; some well-made dishes (Nos. 4, 5 and 6), one a remarkable jug (No. 6) with handle; another, of black earthenware, had been mended with asphalt. A strip of birch-bark (now in the Museum at Zürich) had been neatly sewn (No. 10). In the same Museum there is a stone (perforated) axe-hammer head which vies in elegance of workmanship with any from Scandinavia (No. 9).

Recently Messikommer has come to the conclusion that the _Packwerkbau_ at Niederwyl existed during the early Bronze Age, as he found a piece of oak wood having cuts which could not have been made by a stone implement. From various considerations of the more recent facts brought to light in the course of his frequent excavations here and at Robenhausen he enunciates the opinion that wherever split oak beams or piles are found we may with certainty conclude that the settlement belongs to the early metal age. ("Man darf mit Bestimmtheit annehmen, dass alle jene Niederlassungen, in welchen gespaltenes Eichenholz in grösserer Menge zum Vorschein kommt, auch das Metall in einfacher [Kupfer] oder zusammengesetzter Form [Bronze] gekannt haben.") (B. 454c, p. 2.)

_Second Station._--Adjacent to the Egelsee basin, and separated from it only by about a dozen paces, is another small peat-basin known as the Riedsee, in which were recently found the remains of a true pile-dwelling. Here for some time fragments of pottery, stone hatchets, horns and bones of various animals, were met with in the peat; but in August, 1884, Messikommer discovered the actual piles associated with the usual objects of a Stone Age dwelling. The area of this Pfahlbau was small, measuring only 13 yards by 10. Its site lay near the margin of the peat, and the antiquities were met with 1 foot under the surface. Among these were a small earthenware dish or cover ornamented with four prominences and a few rows of punctured dots (No. 2), several wooden dishes in all stages of manufacture, entire handles of stone hatchets, worked horn, etc. A crucible similar to those from Robenhausen was also found near the same place.

Among the osseous remains are portions of a skull of the urus with both horn-cores attached. The other animals represented are the bison, stag, ox, pig, goat, etc. (B. 420d.)

GREIFENSEE.

During the winter of 1865-6, when the water was low, Messikommer recognised the site of a pile-dwelling in the Greifensee, near Riedikon, but it has proved of little importance, as only a few objects--some flints and stone celts, fragments of pottery, shells of hazel-nuts, and some grains of barley--were found. Its site was covered with broken stones, and being about 100 feet from the shore, in a depth of 3 or 4 feet even when the water was low, it was difficult to make a satisfactory examination. (B. 126, p. 308.)

Traces of a second station are said to have been observed between Riedikon and the village of Greifensee, near where the Aabach enters the lake. (B. 462.)

HEIMENLACHEN.

Near the village of Heimenlachen, in the Canton of Thurgau, there is a peat-moor covering about 15 acres, in which the peasants while cutting peat were occasionally turning up objects of human industry deeply buried, but they have been either dispersed among the curious or thrown away. A large skull of an ox, supposed to be that of a urus, lay for years exposed among a heap of rubbish, but when subsequently searched for, it could not be found. Among these relics were celts of nephrite, stone hammers, various articles of bone and horn, and some fragments of pottery and basket-work. Mr. Burkhard Raeber, of Weinfelden, drew attention to these current reports, and made some excavations in the moor, in the course of which he discovered numerous piles and some transverse beams which he considered to have belonged to a platform.

Another site in the same moor was discovered in 1875, which yielded similar evidence of a pile-dwelling. The woodwork was not encountered till 4 feet of peat had been removed. Mr. Raeber calculates that the settlement was from 80 to 100 yards in length. (B. 182a, 199, and 336.)

KRÄHENRIED, NEAR KALTENBRUNNEN IN THURGAU.

Mr. Raeber found evidence of the existence of a pile settlement in a peat bog at Krähenried. Here the relic-bed was 5 or 6 feet deep, and contained remains of piles, charcoal, hazel-nuts, fragments of pottery, and a well-made celt of serpentine. The ornamentation on the pottery consisted in many cases of regular rows of dots impressed on a fine quality of paste with a smooth surface. The peat-cutters assured Mr. Raeber that similar objects had been frequently found by them, but, considering them of no value, they were thrown away. (B. 288.)

LAKE OF NUSSBAUMEN.

In an open valley between Stein and Frauenfield there is a chain of three small lakes, the upper of which goes by the name of Nussbaumen. Here there is an artificial island, on which Mr. Morlot had observed piles and other indications of a lake-dwelling, but the matter has never been thoroughly investigated. According to Morlot, this island measures 110 feet by 60 feet, is surrounded by piles, and has a similar appearance to that in the little lake at Inkwyl. (B. 31, p. 84.)

LAKE OF CONSTANCE.

The district around the Lake of Constance appears to have had great attractions for the early lake-settlers. This predilection was no doubt due to the exceptionably favourable conditions which the lake afforded for the construction of their pile-villages, viz. a gently-sloping lake-bottom, with a wide tract of grazing or agricultural land beyond. In every sheltered bay around the Untersee, Ueberlingersee, and lower parts of the Bodensee, traces of these settlements have been found; but owing to the difficulties and expense of investigation they have not yet yielded their due quota of relics.

WANGEN.--The first discovered was that at Wangen. It is recorded that Mr. Caspar Löhle, after reading Kellers first report of the Pfahlbauten, recollected having seen on the shore near his own house similar antiquities to those figured from Ober-Meilen. He then commenced, in the autumn of 1856, to collect them; and when the water was low he made excavations, which by degrees rewarded him with some remarkable remains of human industry. The station was in a small bay to the east of the village, in front of a considerable extent of flat land which intervened between it and the sunny slopes beyond. This bay, owing to its sheltered position, was subject to an unusual deposition of lake sediment, so that in the course of time the _débris_ of the settlement became covered over with 3 or 4 feet of mud and gravel. As this deposition went on, from year to year, the bed of the lake became gradually raised, and the water was displaced, so that at certain seasons, when the water in the lake was very low, the relic-bed of the settlement could be investigated by digging on dry land.

Mr. Löhle, in the course of his extensive excavations, ascertained that the settlement extended in the form of a parallelogram some 700 paces in length and 120 in breadth. The piles were made of round or split stems of various kinds of wood, as oak, beech, elm, birch, ash, fir, elder, maple, and two species of willow. They were thickly placed, sometimes three or four together, and Mr. Löhle calculates that in the entire settlement 40,000 or 50,000 must have been used. The relics collected were very numerous, but they are widely dispersed. The best public collections that I have seen are in the Museums at Zürich, Constance, and Sigmaringen. The following notes and accompanying illustrations (=Fig. 27=) will give a fair idea of their character.

_Stone._--Celts, hammer-stones, grain-rubbers, etc., were in hundreds, and in all stages of manufacture, but the great majority were badly made. Perforated tools were comparatively rare (Nos. 7, 8, 9, and 20). Flint saws hafted in wood (No. 15), and flint arrow-heads and lance-heads, were in tolerable abundance (Nos. 1, 2, and 3). The celts and chisels were made from the ordinary water-worn materials found in the neighbourhood (Nos. 6 and 10), and only a few small specimens were of nephrite and jadeite. Very few had horn fasteners, and the prevalent method of using these implements was to insert the celt into a cleft in a branch with a long handle and a crook at the other end. Slabs for grinding and polishing these celts, as well as others with marks of fire, and supposed to have been used as hearths, were also frequently met with.

_Bone and Horn._--Pointers, daggers, awls, small chisels, and arrow-points were found in large numbers. Some of the bone arrow-heads had still the asphalt adhering to them by which they were fastened to the stems. Also flax-hecklers (No. 4), and a variety of fish-hooks (Nos. 11 and 16).

_Clay._--The fragments of pottery indicated dishes of a plain shape, generally cylindrical, and rarely ornamented, but smeared over with a black sooty substance (Nos. 17, 18, and 19). Spindle-whorls of burnt clay (Nos. 12 and 13), and large clay balls, perforated, probably loom-weights.

_Wood._--A plank of oak 7 or 8 feet long and 1½ foot wide is supposed to have been a working bench. Another board, also of oak, was like a round table, and measured 2½ feet in diameter and 2½ inches thick.

_Organic Remains._--The most remarkable feature, however, of the settlement at Wangen was the quantity of charred corn dug up from its _débris_. Mr. Löhle believes that altogether, and at various times, he has collected as much as 100 bushels. Sometimes he found the entire ears, at other times the grain only; but always in a charred condition. The two-rowed barley and two kinds of wheat could be readily identified. Cakes of bread showing roughly-crushed grain, wild apples and pears--all, of course, in a charred condition, otherwise they would not have been preserved from decomposition. In some places there were large quantities of the husks of pine-cones, apple-cores, beech and hazel-nuts, as well as the seeds of raspberries and brambles. From the quantity of apple-cores found in one place it has been suggested that the lake-dwellers made some kind of liquor of fruits. Flax in all stages of manufacture, from the crude bundles of stems with the seed-vessels still attached, to the yarn, and a variety of beautifully-woven cloth. Quantities of moss, rushes, bark of trees, straw, etc., were also collected. These antiquities were not promiscuously all over the area of the settlement, but each group had a well-defined area for itself, from which Mr. Löhle inferred that the different trades were kept apart.

Bones were not numerous, but among them the following animals are represented:--Urus, aurochs, stag, roe, wild boar, wolf, fox, and dog.

In one part of the settlement Mr. Löhle observed some piles that had become bent and twisted like the letter =S=, evidently from superincumbent pressure; and in these places some additional piles had been inserted by way of support.

No metal objects were found, nor any support-rings of clay, nor discoidal stones. (B. 22, 34, 35, and 40.)

OBERSTAAD.--Starting from Wangen, we shall now make a circuit of the Untersee, briefly noting its various stations as we move along. The number now amounts to upwards of 20, and their respective positions can be ascertained from the accompanying Sketch Map (page 129). Below Wangen, the first we come to is in the bay between Oberstaad and Kattenhorn. From its widely scattered remains this station appears to have extended over a large area; but its piles are sparingly seen, and its site has been little investigated. The relics found are a few stone celts and pottery.

HOF BEI STEIN.--A little below the bridge which crosses the outlet of the Rhine at Stein there is a shallow part of the river known as "Auf dem Hof," which on rare occasions, when the water is low, becomes exposed. This was the case on two occasions within the memory of persons now living, viz. in 1858 and 1883. On the last of these dates Mr. B. Schenk, naturalist, of Stein, discovered that it contained the remains of a pile-dwelling buried in the mud. The piles in this structure were strong and firmly fixed, and among them were some transverse beams, and others slantingly placed, as if to protect the structure against the stream. Notwithstanding the difficulty of working here, Mr. Schenk collected a large number of the industrial remains of its inhabitants, such as flint implements, about 150 stone axes (three of which were of nephrite), and a perforated stone disc like a large spindle-whorl, measuring 2¾ inches in diameter, and 1½ inches thick. Perforated stone axes were rare, but some of them are of interest, especially a portion of one made of basalt. There were also worked objects of horn and bone, remains of linen cloth, thread, and a woven fabric made of bast. Noteworthy among bone objects is the scapula of a deer perforated with a round hole, and having its central ridge rubbed off, so as to make it into a polishing implement. An urn-shaped vessel 12 inches high is preserved in the Zürich Museum. A few metal objects are also recorded, viz. a small copper celt 2¾ inches long, also a bronze ring and a bronze hatchet. Bones representing the ox, pig, stag, roe, bear, and beaver. (B. 462; _Antiqua_, 1883, p. 68.)

DAS WEERD.--The existence of the remains of a lake-dwelling at the east end of the Insel Weerd has been known for a long time. The site is close to where a Roman bridge extended from Eschenz to Arach; but the piles are somewhat scattered, and embrace both sides of the river. In 1882 Mr. Schenk succeeded in finding its relic-bed, which he describes as composed of two distinct layers--the upper one being of a dark colour probably the result of the conflagration which destroyed the settlement; and a lower of a yellowish colour, containing much organic _débris_. About 4 cubic mètres of this _Kulturgeschicht_ was examined, and among the relics collected were three human skulls, one of which is perfect, but the others were in bits; a knife, a hair-pin, and some rings of bronze; a copper celt (B. 420b, p. 174); polished stone celts, one of which was made of jadeite. In addition to these, there were various objects of Roman times collected on or in the vicinity of this station, including a tile with an inscription, a bronze statue, Roman coins, etc. In the Rosgarten Museum there is a bronze sword, said to be from this station; also a quern stone 21 inches in diameter, with a central hole 3 inches in diameter. But it is not probable that either of these objects really belonged to the lake-dwellers. The bronze knife, three pins, and some perforated stone implements (=Fig. 28=, Nos. 4 to 7, and 10), are also in this museum, and labelled "Insel Weerd." The human skull has been reported on by Professor Kollmann, who shows it to be dolichocephalic. (_Antiqua_, 1883, p. 69; and 1884, p. 174; _Das Ausland_, 1885, p. 219; B. 462.)

MAMMERN.--In the bay above Mammern, at a place called Neuenburgerhorn, there is an extensive area containing very decayed piles. It was investigated by Messikommer in 1861 on behalf of the Historical Society of Thurgau. (B. 41.) The piles commenced about 160 feet from the shore, and extended some 400 feet along, covering an area of 40,000 square feet. The antiquities were all found on the surface, and consisted of hundreds of stone celts, flint implements, pottery, and bones. No small bone tools, nor any trace of the lighter industrial remains or food material, were met with, nor was there a relic-bed underneath. Hence Messikommer concluded that the finer contents of the relic-bed had been washed away by the current of water, which, it seems, is pretty strong at this place. (B. 40, p. 26.)

FELDBACH and STECKBORN.--A station called "Pfahlbau Turgi," near Feldbach, has been long known, and several prehistoric objects have been found on it from time to time. The water being low in 1882, the Historical Society of Thurgau undertook some systematic explorations. From various indications it was inferred that this station was not among those destroyed by fire. The antiquities collected belonged to the pure Stone Age, among which are:--Stone celts, bone and horn objects, specimens of barley and wheat, cloth made of bast, and fragments of basket-work. From the observations of Mr. Schenk, it would appear that this pile-dwelling had been protected from the waves by a kind of wooden bulwark. (B. 383a.)

Near Steckborn there was another small station, known as "Der Pfahlbau Schanz," on which some interesting objects--as dishes, harpoons, etc.--were found. In 1885 it was again searched by Messikommer (B. 434b, p. 33), and among the objects then collected were stone celts (=Fig. 28=, No. 13), harpoons of horn (No. 19), a flax-heckler, and an implement called a whistle (No. 18) made of the short foot-bone of a cow. According to Messikommer, this settlement had been twice destroyed by fire and the usual carbonised materials--as cloth, grain, charcoal, etc.--were abundantly found. (B. 462.)

BERLINGEN.--In the bay above this town are piles, but not readily discernible, and stone celts have been found all along the shore.

ERMATINGEN.--This settlement occupied the bay below the village, and its site is particularly rich in flint implements and the refuse of their manufacture. Stone celts are also abundant, and among them are a few of nephrite. Some fragments of pottery showing a net-like ornamentation on their inside are noted from this locality. The station appears to have been voluntarily abandoned, as there are no carbonised materials among its _débris_. (B. 40 and 462.)

LANGENRAIN.--Below Gottlieben, at the north end of a small island formed by a divergent branch of the Rhine, Dr. Nägeli, of Ermatingen, discovered in 1882 the remains of a pile-dwelling of the Bronze Age. Some of the piles were seen in the water projecting from the mud, but they are mostly concealed by the deposits imported by a stream (Wollmatinger-Bach) which here falls into the Rhine. They are partly round and partly split stems, sharpened by metal tools, and occupy an area about 100 yards in length and 15 in breadth. The relic-bed was covered with a layer of mud from 1 to 2½ feet in thickness. Among the objects recorded from this station are a winged celt, two lance-heads, and two hair-pins of bronze, fragments of pottery (some of which are ornamented with the meander pattern), and two bits of clay crescents. Also various bones of animals and portions of a human skull, the latter being found in the presence of Mr. Leiner at a depth of 2½ feet from the surface. (B. 462.)

OBERZELL.--The first station on the island of Reichenau, and only lately discovered, lies to the north of Oberzell. (B. 462.)

HEGNE, ALLENSBACH, and MARKELFINGEN.--Of the settlements along this part of the shore Mr. Dehoff has given a long account in Keller's fifth report of the Pfahlbauten. (B. 61.) Since then a new station has been discovered at Hegne, but otherwise no important discoveries have been recorded from these stations. They all belong to the Stone Age. At Markelfingen the piles were observed round a small steinberg some 30 paces from the shore, which, when the water was low, became a low island. No piles were seen on this island, but it yielded a large number of coarsely-made stone celts. From this place I noticed in the Museum at Friedrichshafen a beautiful polished chisel of stone in a staghorn handle (=Fig. 28=, No. 1) and a metal (copper or bronze) bracelet (No. 16).

Near Allensbach piles extended as a broad band for about 1,000 paces parallel to the shore. In one place rows of piles took the direction of the shore in such a manner as to suggest a bridge or stage entrance. The piles were generally round stems, but some of the oak ones were split, and measured in some instances 14 to 16 inches in diameter. They projected only a few inches above the mud. In some places horizontal beams of split oak were found lying buried in the mud, but in deep water, and measuring 15 feet in length and 4 to 6 inches in diameter.

The antiquities collected were chiefly the heavier implements, as stone celts, which varied very much both in size and form--being from less than an inch to 21 inches in length. Only a few fragments showed perforated axes. Corn-crushers were in great abundance, as well as flint saws and other objects of this material. Another station just opposite Allensbach has largely supplied collectors with stone celts, and a considerable number of perforated hammer-axes. At Hegne the stone celts show better workmanship, and among the relics are some beautifully-made saws, daggers, and lance-heads of yellow and dark flint. Two earthen vessels slightly bulging in the middle, and having perforations for cords instead of handles, are noted by Dehoff as containing a black sooty substance, and a third was filled with hazel-nuts.

The remaining stations in the Untersee are at IZNANG, GUNDOLZEN, (B. 462, p. 12), HORNSTAAD, GAIENHOFEN, and HEMMENHOFEN, but they present the same features as those already noticed of the Stone Age. (B. 22.)

CONSTANCE.--In the Bay of Constance there were several of these lake-dwellings, the remains of which have only more recently come to light. In Keller's eighth report of the Swiss lake-dwellings (B. 336), Mr. Leiner, keeper of the Rosgarten Museum, gives a short account of the antiquities found in the harbour (Rauenegg) when it was being enlarged. Among several rows of ancient piles of oak and cross-beams running in a southerly direction towards the Kreuzlingen shore there were found buried in the mud, chiefly lying over the shell marl (_überkalkter Conchylien_), fragments of ornamented pottery (=Fig. 29=, Nos. 4 to 10), loom-weights, spindle-whorls, portions of clay plaster for huts, stone celts, and perforated axe-hammers, together with a variety of flint implements (Nos. 11 and 12). Mr. Leiner remarks that while the pottery found in many of the neighbouring stations was rude and entirely hand-made, that from the Rauenegg station would almost indicate a knowledge of the potter's wheel. This pottery was burnt into a grey, black, or yellowish colour, and belonged to the Bronze Age; in proof of which he instances among the antiquities a few bronze objects (Nos. 1 to 3), a small bit of amber, and some fragments of a fine green and blue glass. One of the bronze objects (No. 1) is quite unique, but of its purpose nothing seems to be known.