Part 1

THE LAKE-DWELLINGS OF EUROPE.

The LAKE-DWELLINGS of EUROPE:

BEING THE _RHIND LECTURES IN ARCHÆOLOGY for 1888_.

BY ROBERT MUNRO, M.A., M.D.,

SECRETARY OF THE SOCIETY OF ANTIQUARIES OF SCOTLAND; AUTHOR OF "ANCIENT SCOTTISH LAKE-DWELLINGS OR CRANNOGS."

CASSELL & COMPANY, LIMITED:

_LONDON, PARIS & MELBOURNE_. 1890.

[ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.]

Transcriber's Notes: Underscores "_before_" and after a word or phrase indicate _italics_ in the original text. Equal signs "=" before and after a word or phrase indicate =bold= in the original text. The carat sign (^) is used to indicate that the following character is superscripted. Small capitals have been converted to SOLID capitals. Obvious spelling mistakes have been corrected. Old or antiquated spellings have been preserved.

PREFACE.

The Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, in offering me the Rhind lectureship in Archæology for the year 1888, left me no choice of a subject, as they had already suggested that the course should be on the "Lake-dwellings of Europe." Their communication embodying this proposal came upon me with complete surprise, and, indeed, it was with considerable misgiving that I pondered over the undertaking, because at that time I had no special knowledge of lake-dwellings beyond Scotland. But the kind encouragement of friends and the fact that I had two years to collect the necessary materials, ultimately overcame my scruples; and so with the acceptance of this appointment the work now offered to the public may be said to have been begun. My first and almost immediate step was a hasty run to the principal centres of lake-dwelling researches in Europe, so as to get a preliminary idea of the best and most practical way of carrying out this work. It was only then that the magnitude of the labours I had undertaken dawned upon me. The relics from the more important settlements, with few exceptions, were so widely scattered that, to form an intelligible notion of the civilisation and culture of their inhabitants from a study of their industrial remains, scores of museums and private collections had to be visited. Nor was the condition of the literature and records of the various discoveries more favourable to my purpose. The successive investigations by different parties in the more prolific stations were constantly altering the previous records and, in some instances, even falsified the earlier deductions founded on them. Again, descriptive notices were directed more to illustrate the particular and rarer finds of the investigator than to convey to general readers a fair estimate of the _tout-ensemble_ of any special station. Keller's earlier reports were really exhaustive monographs, but by-and-by the subject became so extensive that to carry out the work on the same scale would entail the publication of many volumes. In 1866, when Mr. Lee translated and arranged Keller's first six reports, his work was fairly representative of the progress then made in lake-dwelling researches; but to keep pace with this progress a second edition at the end of the following decade assumed the magnitude of two large volumes.

Since then, however (1878), the results of lacustrine researches have been greater and more important than during any previous corresponding period. The "Correction des Eaux du Jura," together with various harbour alterations in the lakes of Zürich, Geneva, etc., have been the means of enormously increasing the lacustrine collections of Switzerland. In North Italy not only have new and remarkably interesting lacustrine stations been discovered and exhaustively investigated, as Lagozza and Polada, but the researches in the terremare have been such as to entirely alter the previous opinions held in regard to them. Nor has the progress in this field of research in many other countries in Europe been scarcely less important, in proof of which I have only to mention the additions made to the Scottish and Irish crannogs; the curious fascine structures brought to light in Holderness, Yorkshire; the novel revelations extracted from the _terp_ mounds in Holland and other low-lying districts on the coast of the German Ocean; the greatly extended and more accurate details of lacustrine structures in North Germany; the discovery in Hungary of prehistoric mounds analogous to the terramara deposits of Italy, etc. In short there is hardly any corner of the lake-dwelling area in Europe which has not yielded new materials, throwing more or less light on this strange phase of prehistoric life.

In these circumstances I resolved to proceed _de novo_, and to construct my story of the lake-dwellings from whatever trustworthy sources I could lay my hands on. In order to carry out this intention my wife and I perambulated the whole of Central Europe with note and sketch books in hand, visiting, as far as practicable, the sites of lake-dwellings, and searching museums and libraries wherever we thought their relics or records were to be found. The eastern limit of the region thus visited may be represented by a line drawn from Königsberg to Trieste, passing through the intermediate towns of Krakow, Buda-Pesth, and Agram. The materials brought together from within this area are, to a very considerable extent, absolutely new to British archæologists. Of course, in a work which aims at putting into the hands of general readers an epitome of the essential facts and results of lacustrine researches since these singular remains were discovered in Europe, I had to take cognisance of some investigations that have already been fully recorded and illustrated. As it was impossible to illustrate typical groups of objects from all the lacustrine stations, I have, as a rule, in selecting the illustrations for this work, avoided those that have already come within the reach of English readers through the translation of Keller's works, except when they belonged to stations that are the best or only representatives of their kind in their respective localities--as, for example, the Rosen Insel in the Lake of Starnberg. Acting on this principle, I have given very few illustrations of objects from Nidau, Moosseedorf, St. Aubin, Wauwyl; nor, for the same reason, is a prominent place given to the earlier discoveries at Robenhausen, Estavayer, Concise, Cortaillod, etc. In this way I have endeavoured to combine in the work now issued as much novelty as possible, without detracting from its general and comprehensive scope.

As our peripatetic labours drew to a close, the next point to be considered was the method of grouping the materials under six divisions, corresponding with the prescribed number of lectures. This was by no means an easy task, as neither the geographical distribution, nor the historical order of the discoveries, could be exclusively selected as a cementing element in dealing with remains so diversified in character and of so wide a range in space and time. The plan which I have here adopted seems to me to combine the greatest advantages with the fewest drawbacks. Its rationale is as follows:--After introducing my subject by a short account of the circumstances that led to the discovery of the _Pfahlbauten_ in the Lake of Zürich, and glancing at the archæological importance and surprising results of this discovery in other Swiss lakes, the historical element is dropped, and I conduct my readers over Western Switzerland and Savoy, summarising the discoveries in the successive lakes as we move along. In the second lecture we again start near the same place and continue our explorations in an easterly direction, and having examined the Upper Rhine district we cross over to the great Danubian basin, which we follow downwards as far as the lacustrine trail carries us, and ultimately finish with Laibach near the source of the Drave. The third lecture is entirely occupied with the palafittes and terremare in the Po valley. In these wanderings we have virtually made a circuit of the great Alpine chain of mountains, and have seen that the habit of constructing lake-dwellings was prevalent in the upper reaches of the four principal waterways which diverge from its flanks, viz. the Rhine, Rhone, Danube, and Po.

The lake-dwelling area thus surveyed comprises all the remains that can unequivocally be said to belong to the primary development of these structures in Europe, their period of existence being almost exclusively confined to the prehistoric ages of Stone and Bronze. Such being the case, this might be a suitable opportunity for offering some general remarks on the culture and civilisation of their inhabitants; but this I defer to the final lecture, thinking it preferable before doing so to acquaint my readers with various details of analogous remains brought to light in other districts in Europe. Accordingly in the fourth lecture we continue our geographical wanderings. Again starting in Switzerland we discuss the peculiar remains found in La Tène, almost the only exception to the ordinary _Pfahlbauten_ of the Stone and Bronze ages encountered in our previous tour; and thence, moving northwards by the lower Rhine district, we pass to North Germany, where we meet with settlements apparently belonging to all ages. The fifth lecture is exclusively devoted to an exposition of the crannogs and lake-dwellings within the British Isles. In these five lectures we have thus surveyed the entire area in Europe in which the remains of ancient lake-dwellings have been discovered in modern times.

Excepting the well-known reports of Keller and a few monographs on particular stations or districts, the entire literature of the subject may be said to lie buried in the Transactions of learned societies. Having to hunt up and peruse most of these obscure and almost inaccessible articles--the number and extent of which may be estimated by a glance at the accompanying bibliography--it occurred to me that, by tabulating all the works and notices of these researches in chronological sequence, under the names of their respective authors and with correct references to their published sources, I might be conferring some benefit on future investigators, while supplying myself with a simple and ready means of referring to authorities, without the necessity of having to repeat over and over again the voluminous titles of publications. Hence the origin of the bibliography appended to this work, which, however imperfect, will, I trust, considerably enhance its value. Its compilation has given me a great deal of trouble, and the only valuable assistance I derived from other publications of the kind was from Pigorini's "Bibliography of Italian Archæology," which, unfortunately, comes down only to 1874.

There remains now only the pleasant duty of thanking those who have assisted me in bringing the work, so far, to a satisfactory conclusion. On this score my obligations are very great.

(1) In collecting the materials on the Continent my work was greatly facilitated by introductory notes from and to eminent archæologists, and among those who so honoured me I have especially to mention EVANS, FRANKS, VOSS, TISCHLER, the late KARL DESCHMANN, MAJOR TRÖLTSCH, PIGORINI, and CASTELFRANCO.

(2) To the custodians of museums and the owners of private collections I am indebted for permission to have notes and sketches taken of objects in their possession. The collections which have supplied me with original illustrations are the following:--

MUSEUMS.

Aix-les-Bains: _Musée de la Ville_. Annecy: _Musée de la Ville_. Avenches: _Museum of Roman Antiquities_. Bâle: _The Museum_. Belfast: _Antiquarian Museum_. Berlin: _Märkisches Museum_. Königl. _Museum für Völkerkunde_. Berne: _Cantonal Museum. Gross Coll. Federal Hall_. Bienne: _Schwab Museum_. Boudry: _Museum_. Chambéry: _Musée de la Ville_. Como: _Museo di Como_. Constance: _Rosgarten Museum_. Dublin: _Museum of the Royal Irish Academy_. Edinburgh: _National Museum of Antiquities_. Frauenfeld: _Sammlung der Hist. Gesellschaft im Thurgau_. Fribourg: _Musée Cantonal_. Friedrichshafen: _Museum des Vereins für die Geschichte des Bodensees_. Geneva: _Musée Archéologique_. Isola Virginia: _Museo Ponti_. Klagenfurt: _Das Historiche Museum des Rudolfinums_. Königsberg: _Das Prussia Museum_. Laibach: _Landesmuseum_. Lausanne: _Musée Cantonal_. Leeuwarden: _Museum van het Friesch Genootschap_. London: _British Museum_. Lucerne: _Historical and Art-Industrial Museum in the Rathhaus_. Mayence: _Sammlung des Stadt und Alterthumsvereins_. Milan: _Museo Civico_. Modena: _Museo Civico_. Morat: _A small Collection in the Gymnasium_. Munich: K. _Ethnographisches Museum_. Neuchâtel: _Musée Archéologique_. Parma: _R. Museo d'Antichità di Parma_. Posen: _Archæological Museum_. Reggio: _Museo Civico di Reggio d'Emilia_. Rome: _Museo Preistorico_. Schwerin: _Grossherzogl. Alterthümer Sammlung_. Sigmaringen: _Fürstl. Hohenzollern'sches Museum_. St. Germain (Paris): _Musée National_. Stuttgart: _K. Kunst-und Alterthums-Sammlung_, and _K. Naturalien-Sammlung_. Turin: _Museo Civico_. Ueberlingen: _Steinhaus Museum_. Varese: _Museo di Varese_. Verona: _Museo Civico_. Viadana: _Museo Civico_. Vienna: _K. K. Naturhist-Hof-Museum_ (_formerly K. K. Munzund Antikenkabinet_). Yverdon: _Musée de la Ville_. Zürich: _Sammlung der antiquarischen Gesellschaft_.

PRIVATE COLLECTIONS.

Boynton, Thomas, F.S.A.Scot., Bridlington. Castelfranco, Professor, Milan. Evans, John, D.C.L., F.R.S., F.S.A., Hemel Hempstead. Frank, Oberförster, Schussenried, Württemberg. Grainger, Canon, Broughshane, Ireland. Restaurant Lacustre (Port), Aix-les-Bains. Le Mire, M. Jules. Collection of Relics from the Palafitte in the Lake of Clairvaux, exhibited at the International Exposition, Paris, 1889. Ley, Herr, Bodmann, Baden. Leiner, Herr, Constance, Baden. Lord Talbot de Malahide, Malahide Castle. Messikommer, Herr Jacob, Wetzikon, Switzerland. Much, Dr., Vienna. Quaglia, Sig. Giuseppe, Varese. Rabut, M., Chambéry. (This collection is now in the British Museum.) Rambotti, Dr., Desenzano, Italy. Regazzoni, Professor. (Collection in the _Museo di Como_.) Vouga, M. A. (Collection in the Boudry Museum.) Vouga, M. E., Marin.

(3) Messrs. Chantre, Gross, A. and E. Vouga, R. Forrer (editor of _Antiqua_), and others, as well as a large number of the secretaries of Archæological Societies, have most cordially granted me permission to take extracts or copy such illustrations from their published works as I might think necessary. The instances in which I have availed myself of this privilege are acknowledged in the text and in the tabulated list of illustrations.

(4) The following Societies have kindly allowed me to use electrotypes of a number of their woodcuts, all of which are duly specified in the list of illustrations:--

Ayr and Galloway Archæological Association. Society of Antiquaries of Scotland. Anthropological Society, London. Royal Archæological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland. Royal Irish Academy. Royal Historical and Archæological Association of Ireland.

(5) The bibliography was to a large extent compiled at the British Museum Library, where I found greater facilities for such work than in any similar institution on the Continent. In addition to ready access to public libraries, I have to acknowledge the receipt of a number of valuable annotations and references in special libraries attached to museums or belonging to Societies. Among the archæologists who have thus aided me I have specially to mention MM. PIGORINI, VOSS, and REINACH (St. Germain). The Hon. H. A. Dillon, Secretary of the Society of Antiquaries, supplied me with the reference to the capture of an Irish crannog by the English, quoted at page 482.

My learned friend Joseph Anderson, LL.D., greatly assisted me in revising the proof sheets.

For all these varied and valuable contributions to this work, as well as for the many acts of kindness and good wishes received during our peregrinations, I now express my warmest thanks and gratitude.

_Edinburgh, 15th May, 1890._

CONTENTS.

First Lecture. SETTLEMENTS IN LAKE ZÜRICH, WESTERN SWITZERLAND, AND FRANCE. PAGES Introductory--First Discovery of Lake-Dwellings at Ober-Meilen Early Investigators--General Scope of Lectures--Descriptive Notices of Settlements in the Lake of Zürich--Investigations in the Jura Lakes, and Archæological Result of the "Correction des Eaux du Jura"--Detailed Notices of the Stations in the Lakes of Bienne, Neuchâtel, Morat, Inkwyl, Burgäschi, Moosseedorf, Sempach, Wauwyl, Zug, Baldegg, Geneva, Luissel, Bourget, Annecy, Aiguebellette, and Clairvaux 1-109

Second Lecture. SETTLEMENTS IN EASTERN SWITZERLAND, THE DANUBIAN VALLEY, AND CARNIOLA. Character of _Pfahlbauten_ in Peat Bogs--Descriptive Notices of Stations in Lake Pfäffikon, Egelsee, Greifensee, the Peat Moors at Heimenlachen, and in the Lakes of Nussbaumen, Constance, Mindli, Bussen, Feder, Olzreuthe, Starnberg, Atter, Mond, and Fuschl--Suggestive Remains in Neusiedlersee--Pile Structures in Hungary--Early Researches in the Lakes of Carinthia and Carniola--Remarkable Discoveries in Laibach Moor--Notices of supposed Beaver-traps and similar Machines found in North Germany, Italy, and Ireland 110-185

Third Lecture. LAKE DWELLINGS AND PILE STRUCTURES IN ITALY.

First discovered at Mercurago. (_a_) _Western Lake-Settlements in the Po Valley_: Notices of Stations in Lake Varese and the adjoining Turbaries of Biandrono, Cassago-Brabbia, and Pustenga--Researches in the Lakes of Monate and Varano; in the Turbaries of Mombello, Valcuvia, and Brenno; in the Lakes of Annone and Pusiano, and in the Turbaries of Bosisio, Capriano, Maggiolino, Mercurago, Borgo-Ticino, and San Martino--Remarkable Station in Lagozza. (_b_) _Eastern Lake-Settlements in the Po Valley_: Descriptive Notices of the Stations in the Lakes of Garda, Fimon, and Arquà-Petrarca, and in the Turbaries of Polada and Cascina. (_c_) _Terremare_: Discovery and Significance of the Terramara Deposits--Special Investigations at Castione--Notices of further Typical Stations at Montale, Casale Zaffanella, and Gorzano--General Remarks on Terramara Settlements--Their Distribution, Relics, and Organic Remains 186-276

Fourth Lecture. SPECIAL CHARACTER OF THE REMAINS FOUND AT LA TÈNE, AND IN THE LAKE OF PALADRU: LACUSTRINE AND MARINE DWELLINGS IN THE LOWER RHINE DISTRICT AND NORTH GERMANY.

Descriptive Notice of Antiquities found at La Tène and in the Lake of Paladru--Notices of Stations in the Palatinate, at Deûle à Houplin, and of one of a remarkable character near Maëstricht--Detailed Notices of Stations in (_a_) _Mecklenburg_, (_b_) _Pomerania and Central Prussia_, (_c_) _Posen and Poland_, and (_d_) _East Prussia and Livland_--General Remarks on the Settlements of North Germany and their relation to the _Burgwälle_--Ancient Marine Dwellings on the Coasts of Holland and Western Germany--_Terpen_, _Warfen_, and _Wurthen_ 277-348

Fifth Lecture. THE LAKE DWELLINGS OF GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND.

I.--IRISH CRANNOGS: First Discovery of a Crannog at Lagore--Subsequent Discoveries, especially during the workings of the Commissioners for the arterial drainage of Ireland--General Features of Crannogs then observed, with Notes of the Relics collected on them--Notices of typical Crannogs at Randalstown and Tonymore--Researches of Messrs. G. H. Kinahan and W. F. Wakeman--Crannogs in the County of Fermanagh--Recent Discoveries at Lisnacroghera and in Lough Mourne--List of Irish Crannogs, alphabetically arranged, with Notes and References.

II.--SCOTTISH CRANNOGS: Historical Notice of their Discovery--Details of Characteristic Stations at Dowalton, Lochlee, Lochspouts, Buston, Airrieoulland, Barhapple, White Loch of Ravenstone, and Friar's Carse--Stone Lake-Dwellings and other Artificial Islands--List of Scottish Crannogs, alphabetically arranged, with Notes and References.

III.--ENGLISH LAKE-DWELLINGS: The _meres_ of Norfolk and Suffolk, etc.--Pile Structures in London--Crannog in Llangorse Lake, Wales--Suggestive Remains in Berks--Recent Lacustrine Discoveries in Holderness.

IV.--GENERAL REMARKS ON LAKE-DWELLINGS WITHIN THE BRITISH ISLES: Their Structure and Modes of Access, Gangways, and Canoes--Their Local Distribution and Ethnographical Significance--Their Range in Time--Their Relation to Analogous Remains in Europe 349-494

Sixth Lecture. THE LAKE-DWELLERS OF EUROPE: THEIR CULTURE AND CIVILISATION.

Founders of the earliest Lake-Dwellings lived in the Stone Age, and were acquainted with agriculture, the rearing of cattle, and various industries--Art of Boring and Sawing Stones--Jade Implements and their significance among the Lake-Dwellers--Introduction of Metals--Transition Period and Copper Age(?)--Bronze Age and its characteristic Arts and Industries--Osteological Remains of the Lake-Dwellers--Iron Age--The sudden appearance of Implements and Weapons of Iron among the Swiss Lake-Dwellers indicates a new Race of People--Who were these new comers?--Distribution of La Tène Civilisation in Europe--General Conclusions 495-554

Bibliography of Lake-Dwelling Researches in Europe 555-583

Index 585-600

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

FIG. LAKE ZÜRICH. PAGE =1.=--OBER-MEILEN: No. 1, Flint knife--2, Flint saw in its wooden handle--3 and 4, Stone axes--5, Bronze axe--6, Bear's tooth, perforated--7, Hammer of staghorn--8, 13, and 17, Perforated stone axes--9, Amber bead--10, Bronze armlet--11 and 15, Stone axes or chisels in horn handles--12, Polisher of stone, with small perforation for string--14, Spindle-whorl of earthenware--16, Flint arrow-point 6

No. 5 in Museum Schwab, and the rest in Antiq. Museum at Zürich.

=2.=--BAUSCHANZE, KLEINER HAFNER, AND GROSSER HAFNER: Nos. 1 to 7, Specimens of pottery--8, Spindle-whorl of earthenware--9, Bone needle--10, Horn implement--11, Flax-heckler of bones--12, Bone dagger--13 and 14, Mortised beams--15 and 16, Flint implements--17, Bear's tooth, perforated--18 and 28, Ornamental bracelets--19 and 27, Pendants--20, Involved rings--21 and 22, Agricultural implements of horn--23, Fish-hook of bone--24 to 26, Bronze pins--29, Part of a chain--30, Ornamented knife--31, Earthenware vase, placed on a clay support ring--32, Bronze implement, with handle--33 to 37, Various tools and a spiral. (These objects are of bronze when not otherwise specified) 11

Nos. 1 to 17 after Keller (B. 336, Pl. i. and ii.), the rest, with the exception of 21 to 23 and 31, from _Antiqua_, 1883. Nearly all in Zürich Museum.