Part 10

Lying directly between the lakes of Neuchâtel and Morat there stretches a considerable elevation called Mount Vully, which ends abruptly at its north-west end on the margin of the Gross Moos. At the base of this declivity lies the Broye, and as the widening and deepening of its channel was part of the great scheme for the Correction des Eaux du Jura, a similar effect was produced on Lake Morat as on the lakes of Bienne and Neuchâtel. Previous to the lowering of its waters, however, the lake-dwelling stations along its shores were carefully examined by Colonel Schwab, Baron von Bonstetten, and the Count de Pourtalès, the proprietor of an estate on its western shore.

In Keller's 5th report (B. 61) the number of stations in this lake was given as 16, and since then one or two more have been added to the list. Many of these were, however, mere indications which, on the lowering of the level of the water, have turned out to be only stone cairns supposed to have been landing-places. According to the most recent researches of Mr. Süsstrunk (B. 336 and 462), the number may be reduced to 11, the positions of which are sufficiently defined on the accompanying Sketch Map. They belonged mostly to the Stone Age period, and only three, viz. Montilier, Greng-Insel, and Vallamand survived during the most flourishing period of the Bronze Age.

MONTILIER.--The first station of importance, beginning on the east side of the lake, was situated a little to the north of the present village of Montilier. It contained a steinberg, and the piles were stout and firmly fixed. Here Colonel Schwab found not only objects of the Stone Period, such as flint knives, stone hatchets, etc., but also an unusually large number of handsome earthenware vessels presenting a style of ornamentation which at once led him to assign the settlement to the Bronze Age--a deduction which his subsequent discoveries completely justified. These vessels were neatly finished, and had their surface sometimes rubbed over with charcoal or graphite, a process which gave them a glossy appearance. They were made without the intervention of the wheel, and from not giving out a ringing sound when struck with a hard substance, Colonel Schwab concluded they had been burnt in open fires. The ornamentation consisted of deeply incised lines, circles, triangles, etc., filled with a white chalky substance. In some instances strips of tin were plastered over the surface, which took the place of the linear incisions, and so presented a pleasing combination of the same principles of ornamentation. The forms of the vessels are extremely elegant and varied, and may be classed as _cups_, _bowls_, _plates_, _jars_, and _jugs_. Some have handles, others spouts springing from the middle of the bulge, and others a series of symmetrical perforations, but whether for ornament or use it is difficult to decide. One most remarkable dish like a saucer has its inner surface ornamented with linear incisions and a series of thirty symmetrically disposed groups of perforations. The colour of this pottery was either black, red, or grey, and sometimes the same dish had a combination of these colours. Spindle-whorls of diversified forms, and ornamented with dots, oval depressions, etc., were also abundant, (B. 126, Pl. iv. and v.)

Among the other Bronze Age antiquities collected here were some stone moulds, hair-pins, hatchets, knives, armlets, rings, sickles, fish-hooks, beads of glass and amber, a small flat finger-ring of gold, etc. There was also portion of an armlet of tin. The bronze knives were not numerous, but one was highly ornamented with a series of three flowing patterns of semicircles separated by incised lines which ran along its curved back.

No swords or bronze dishes are recorded from this station; and of three bronze hatchets in the Murten Museum, of the usual winged type, one has the loop transverse to the cutting edge, and a portion of its wooden handle still remains between the wings.

MURTEN.--This station lies a little above the monument of the battle of Murten. It is of considerable size, and has yielded a large quantity of Stone Age objects, such as large perforated stone axes, staghorn hammers, flint arrow-heads, lumps of carbonised wheat and many other seeds, weaving-weights, and also bits of burnt cloth. The station is now completely worked out. (B. 61 and 462.)

MEYRIEZ (MERLACH).--This station belongs to the early Stone period, and no perforated axes are among its relics. Among the few things collected on its site the following may be mentioned:--Bits of cloth, burnt corn, stone hatchet in wooden handle, another hatchet of jade, etc. The woodwork was very rotten, and the piles could hardly be distinguished. A canoe with ribbed floor (now in the Fribourg Museum) was found in the vicinity of the station. (B. 462.)

GRENG-INSEL.--This settlement was situated at the end of a low tongue of land which projected into the lake, and covered an area of 49,000 square feet. Near the shore the relics were entirely of the Stone Age, but farther out in the lake they became mixed with bronze and even iron objects. During low water, previous to the Correction des Eaux du Jura, a considerable portion of this station could be visited on dry land, but now it is entirely dry. In its vicinity are several stone cairns which have greatly puzzled antiquaries, as no relics have been found on them. Piles were observed in two of them--one lying to the north-east and the other to the south-west of it.

When this station was first investigated (1861-2), it yielded a number of perforated hammers and hatchets (some showing unfinished perforations), six flint knives, corn-crushers, a stone mortar, a bronze ring, a hair-pin, and several implements of iron. (B. 61.)

Subsequently the proprietor, Count de Pourtalès, with the co-operation of the local archæologists, made further excavations, which proved that it essentially belonged to the Stone Age. From Dr. Uhlmann's Report (1865), it appears that the relic-bed was from 1 to 4 feet below gravel and matted roots. The piles were generally of oak-stems as thick as a man's arm or leg, and some were as much as 1 foot in diameter, but when they reached this size they were generally split. They were irregularly set, and penetrated deeply into the mud below. They were of a blackish colour, well preserved, and apparently pointed with stone axes. Among the relics collected were daggers, saws, and arrow-heads of flint, beautifully made (=Fig. 14=, No. 9); stone celts, neatly bored; implements of bone, as chisels, pointers, etc., and staghorn haftings.

Fragments of pottery showed two qualities--a reddish thick earthenware, badly burnt, and a finer quality with some linear ornamentation.

The bones turned up were very numerous; among which Dr. Uhlmann recognised those of the following animals:--Urus (a large variety of horned cattle) and the small _marsh cow_. The sheep-bones indicated a large race with strong horn cores bent backwards and outwards; but those of the goat belonged to a more slender animal; stag, elk, and roe-deer. Amongst the carnivora were the great bear, the teeth of which were perforated for suspension, the dog (larger than at Moosseedorf), fox, hedgehog, and beaver. Bones of the frog, and the scales and bones of a fish, probably a species of pike. Also there were several portions of skulls and other human bones.

Among vegetal remains were hazel and beech nuts, stones of the sloe and birdcherry; seeds of raspberries, blackberries, and strawberries; and carbonised masses of wheat. (B. 126.)

When the station became dry in 1874, in consequence of the drainage-works, it was again investigated by Mr. Süsstrunk, on behalf of the town of Morat and the Canton of Fribourg. Among the objects then found were two flat celts, the composition of which, according to Dr. v. Fellenberg's analysis, was a mixture of carbonate of copper and sulphur, without any traces of tin. Among other things were buttons and haftings of staghorn; a conical stone set in a long hafting of staghorn; some netting-needles of wood, etc. (B. 286.)

Since then a considerable number of the usual class of bronze objects as hatchets, knives, hair-pins, fish-hooks, rings, etc., have been found on this station. (B. 462.) Noteworthy is a knife, partly of bronze and partly of iron (=Fig. 14=, No. 1).

Among the objects in the Museum at Morat are clay weights, dishes of pottery (Nos. 13 and 15), staghorn haftings (some with a slit at their handle-end); a curious object of staghorn, like a large earring (No. 17); beautifully worked flint daggers (No. 9), and a large number of bone chisels, pointers, etc. In the Museum at Bern there is a mould for a flat celt, with the casting still in its case, like one in the Museum at Stuttgart from the Ueberlingersee.

GRENG-MÜHLE.--The next station following in the same direction is a large and prolific station of the Stone Age, with staghorn implements predominating among its relics. The perforated stone axes are wanting. (B. 462.)

FAOUG (PFAUEN).--Near the railway station, in the course of digging a well, the relic-bed of a pile-dwelling belonging to the Stone Age was encountered, but its contents have not yet been excavated. A little to the west of this in the lake some bronze objects were found associated with piles, but these relics are supposed to have come from Vallamand. (B. 462.)

Near Faoug there was observed a curious wooden structure, which Dr. Keller suggested might have been a circular lake-dwelling, like the Irish crannogs. Mr. Süsstrunk wrote a short notice of it (B. 336), in which he comes to the conclusion that it was more likely to be in connection with fishing than with the Pfahlbauten. It consisted of seven concentric circles of slender piles, separated by an interval of from 2 to 3 feet. The diameter of the largest circle was hardly 14 yards, so that little space was left in the interior for any supposed dwelling. The outer circle was formed of boards, about 10 inches broad and 2 inches thick, standing on end, and penetrating the soil to the depth of 3 feet or so, and so closely set as to be almost touching. The piles in the other circles were round and small, and their ends penetrated only 18 inches into the earth.

VALLAMAND.--This station was extremely rich in Bronze Age objects, and was known to Colonel Schwab, who found many vessels, clay rings, discoidal stones, a bronze earring, and a bronze shallow plate, about 10 inches in diameter and 1 inch deep. One of the fictile dishes (No. 16) is shaped like a water-bottle, and has its neck perforated with a number of small holes arranged at uniform distances and so as to be in perpendicular line. From each hole a circular line runs round the neck. (B. 61, p. 49.)

The station was finally explored in the interests of the Museum of Lausanne, where there is now a splendid collection of its relics. Some things, however, have gone to the Museum at Bern and to that in the castle ruins at Avenches. One of the most interesting objects from this station is a razor in its wooden case (No. 8). In the Lausanne Museum the objects are marked Guévaux, and among them are the following:--Of bronze--four winged celts with side loops (two of which have a terminal catch), three large hollow rings with linear ornamentations, one bracelet, two cups ornamented with small repoussé prominences, six sickles (two with a back spur and one with an upright spur), a large cup-shaped head of a pin like the one from Wollishofen (=Fig. 3=, No. 9) several pendants (=Fig. 14=, No. 10), involved rings (Nos. 2 and 4), gouges, buttons (No. 7), studs, 1,300 rings found together, combs (Nos. 11 and 12), and a curious rod hooked at the ends and perforated (No. 5). A fish-hook with attachments (No. 3), a pin with attached chain (only a portion of which is here represented, No. 21), and a curious ornamented dagger, are from other collections.

A few specimens of pottery (Nos. 14 and 18) and an ornanamented horn (No. 20) complete the illustrations from this station.

GUÉVAUX, ETC.--The four stations on this part of the coast--viz. Guévaux, Mür, Motier, and Sugiez-Zollhaus--have furnished only a few traces of their existence, from which it would appear that they belonged to the pure Stone Age.

The group of well-preserved piles at the mouth of the Chandon was probably a Roman landing-stage, as Roman tiles have been found along with them.

At Nant were found two kettles, one of bronze and the other of copper with an iron ring, two daggers, some iron arrow-heads, and a piece of sculptured marble, evidently of a later period than the lake-dwellings.

Of the remaining eight or nine cairns whose tops were occasionally above water, none have yielded industrial relics, and there is consequently no evidence as to their age and use. They are too small to admit of even a single hut. (B. 462.)

INKWYLERSEE.

The little lake of Inkwyl is surrounded by low pasture-land, and in the middle of it there is a small circular island thickly wooded, which in appearance suggests the idea of a Scottish Crannog. Professor von Morlot first, in 1854, drew attention to the probability of the island being artificially constructed, and a short notice to this effect, which appeared in 1857 (B. 19), induced Mr. Amiet, of Soleure, to make some excavations. In the following year (1858) these explorations were continued by Mr. Roth, the proprietor of the island. The result of their operations[18] showed that there was originally on the site of this island a pile-dwelling, which became subsequently a solid island, now rising about ten feet above the surface of the water. The island measured 90 feet by 80 feet, and in the interior of it, some 6 or 7 feet deep, there was a rough platform of logs supported on piles. The antiquities, collected immediately on and underneath the platform, consisted of stone axes of nephrite and serpentine, along with their staghorn haftings; corn-crushers; flint arrow-heads; bone implements; perforated tusks; fragments of pottery, both rough and fine; clay rings and weights; spindle-whorls; broken bones of various animals, such as stag, roe, marsh pig, wild boar, ox, beaver, and some birds. (B. 22.)

In the superficial layers were found a bronze spoon, fragments of Roman pottery and flanged roofing tiles, an iron lance-head, and a spur, apparently relics of the Middle Ages.

BURGÄSCHISEE.

About half an hour's walk from Inkwyl there is a somewhat extensive valley, in which lies the small Burgäschisee, whose boggy margins were for some time surmised to contain the remains of lake-dwellings, as several objects of stone and a couple of bronze pins were found by peat-cutters. A few years ago the matter was put beyond doubt by investigations conducted under the superintendence of Dr. Uhlmann and Mr. Jenner. A series of pits were dug in the peat along the shore of the lake, and at a depth of 2 to 4½ feet they came upon very rotten piles, and a large assortment of the usual industrial remains of the lake-dwellers of the Stone Age. The relics and osseous remains were similar to those from Moosseedorfsee; and among the former were stone axes, flint saws, scrapers and daggers, arrow-points, of flint and of rock crystal, with traces of asphalt, and mealing-stones. Also fragments of various vessels, one with a handle; implements of bone and horn, as chisels, pointers, etc.; a rubbing instrument, made of the underjaw of a beaver; forked implements of ribs, etc.

Noteworthy is the fact that some stone relics show evidence of having been sawn. A short notice of these discoveries is inserted in the eighth report on the Pfahlbauten by Mr. Keiser, of Burgdorf. (B. 336.)

MOOSSEEDORFSEE.

This settlement, known as Moosseedorf, was situated in the marsh of Münchenbuchsee, about seven miles from Bern. The small lake of this name is now nothing more than a moorland tarn, surrounded by meadow-land and peat bogs. It is of an oblong form, having its greatest axis (east to west) corresponding with that of the valley. During the winter of 1855-6, in consequence of a canal made for agricultural purposes, its usual level was lowered some eight feet, and thus a considerable portion of its peaty bed became exposed, and for the first time divulged the existence of two prehistoric pile dwellings, one at each end of the lake. The western, which was more satisfactorily investigated, owing to its site becoming dry land, proved to be a small parallelogram 70 by 55 feet. This area was occupied with piles of entire or split stems of oak and other woods, and leading from it and running to the shore, there was a kind of faggot roadway of branches. The relics were found among the piles and underneath a stratum of mud, containing the roots of reeds and water-plants. This relic-bed varied in thickness from 5 inches to 2 feet, and contained stones, gravel, bones, charcoal, etc., lying immediately over the shell-marl. The piles penetrated into this shell-marl, but no relics were found in it. During the succeeding ten years after its discovery, these settlements and their industrial remains were carefully examined by Messrs. Jahn, Morlot, and Dr. Uhlmann. (B. 19, 22, 34, 40, 126.)

The relics, most of which are deposited in the Bern Museum, include a large assortment of industrial remains:--40 stone celts (four of which are of nephrite), a number of stones perforated, and one stone spindle-whorl; flint saws in handles; arrow-points of bone, flint (one with barbs), and rock crystal; harpoons; horn fastenings for celts, some with a bifurcated end; three horn cups, all with a round hole at the edge; needles, gouges, chisels, and pointers of bone; a comb made of yew, a fish-hook made of boar's tusk, a skate from the leg-bone of the horse, pieces of cloth and string, bits of wood perforated as for net-floats, rolls of birch-bark, etc.

Fragments of pottery had perforated knobs for suspension, and some of them indicated large vessels--about 16 or 17 inches in diameter. In 1868 Dr. Uhlmann found a fragment of pottery having a perforated knob, and alongside of it, evidently for ornamentation, there were triangular bits of birch-bark plastered over the surface with asphalt. (B. 336, p. 37.) (=Fig. 184=, No. 5.)

Two portions of stone sawn off show that the art of sawing this material was then known.

According to Dr. Uhlmann's analysis of its flora and fauna the following species were identified:--

_Flora._--Barley, wheat (_Trit. vulg._ and _compactum_), pea, poppy, and flax (_L. angust_.); also the water-chestnut (_Trapa natans_).

_Fauna._--Among domestic animals were the dog, sheep, and various kinds of ox. A few bones of the horse were also found among the osseous remains, but as it is not yet certain that the horse was domesticated in the Stone Age, these might belong to the wild species.

The remains of wild animals showed:--Bear, badger, polecat, marten, wild cat, otter, fox, hedgehog, beaver, hare, squirrel, fieldmouse, marsh pig, wild boar, elk, stag, roe, ox (_Bos prim._), bison, several kinds of falcons, owl, wild pigeon, crow, partridge, heron, stork, sea-gull, wild duck, and teal; also those of the tortoise, frog, toad, perch, carp, pike, and salmon. (B. 284.)

SEMPACHERSEE.

In 1806 this lake was lowered to the extent of 6 or 8 feet, and on the shore thus exposed a number of piles became visible, among which it was reported that there were Celtic weapons, hair-pins, and other implements found. "Keltische Waffen, die in vii Bande des Geschichtsfreundes beschreiben sind, Nadeln und andere Gegenstände." (B. 15, p. 99.) But these notices and relics of a past civilisation attracted little attention at the time, and it was only in the light of Keller's discovery of lake-dwellings that the recollection of the find at Sempach was revived and properly interpreted. Colonel Schwab in his lacustrine peregrinations extended his researches also to Lake Sempach, and identified seven or eight stations along its shores, most of which were then on dry land. These settlements were situated near the following places:--Eich, Schenken, Inselchen, Mariazell, Margarethen, and Nottwyl: and in all of them some antiquities either of stone or bronze were collected. (B. 61.)

At the north end, near the site of the lake-dwelling at Mariazell, but about 20 feet from the water and a foot underground, there was a remarkable bronze hoard found. (B. 126.) At a short distance from this there was a human skull disinterred, and along with it a hair-pin and a bronze gouge; but whether or not these objects belonged to the lake-dwellers it is impossible to say. Most of the lake-dwelling remains from the Sempachersee are deposited in the Museum of Lucerne, among which I have noted the following:--One or two discoidal stones; a few clay cylinders with everted edges; whorls of various forms and sizes, some ornamented with lines and pitted impressions; pottery ornamented with lines and triangles, finger-marks, etc.; and four beautifully-worked stone axes (=Fig. 15=, Nos. 8, 9, and 10). The bronze find from Maria Zellermoos includes seven winged and two flat celts, a chisel, two knives, one dagger with six rivets, four sickles (one with back spur), and 13 flat bracelets. Some Roman keys, buckles, a few yellow beads of glass (one of amber), etc., are mixed with this find. Specimens of these bronze implements are given on =Fig. 15=, Nos. 1 to 7, and 11.

WAUWYLERSEE. (B. 34 and 126.)

To the west of the little Lake of Wauwyl there is an extensive peaty plain, in which, upon the lowering of the lake for further utilisation of the peat, the remains of some curiously-constructed lake-dwellings were discovered. Wooden platforms were met with, resting, not on piles, but upon a series of successive beds of roughly-cut stems lying transversely to each other, the lowest of which reposed on the lake-bottom. Between these layers were branches and brushwood, mixed with clay, and the whole mass was pierced with vertical piles, the tops of which were at least a foot above the upper platform. These layers were as many as five, and the total thickness of the mass when exposed was about 3 feet, but there can be no doubt that, originally, it would have been greater, as there had been considerable condensation of the mass due to decay, especially of the interposing branches. The uprights were not observed to have been in any way connected with the platform, and the only peculiarity in the method of their arrangement was that they were more thickly placed at the corners, as if to keep the wooden mass in position. These artificial structures measured only 10 or 12 feet square, but they were very numerous, and so close that beams from one sometimes reached to the one next it. They were found in various parts of the moor, but in one place they were crowded into a rectangle measuring 90 feet by 50, which was surrounded by several rows of upright piles, as if for common protection. The upright piles were made of oak, alder, or fir, and they penetrated deeply into the shell marl--the stoutest being of oak, measuring 5 inches or more in diameter. It is noteworthy that the lowest horizontal woodwork lay on the shell marl, showing that these dwellings were constructed before the peat commenced to grow. The peat is now at least 6 feet thick., _i.e._ 3 feet of peat lying above the uppermost platforms.