Part 21

The pile-dwelling occupied a rectangular space, near the centre of the _bacino_, about 80 yards long from north to south and 30 to 40 yards broad. The turf here varied in thickness from 1 to 2 yards, according to the state of moisture; below which there was a muddy stratum containing the roots of water plants (_fango con radice_), among which the tops of the piles appeared. This layer was 16 inches thick, and immediately below it was the _strato archeologico_, which varied in thickness from 2 to 8 inches, and contained the usual _débris_ of human occupancy embedded in a matrix of black peat mud and earth. Below this again was a stratum of black earth, mixed with the whitish clay or marl of the ancient lake bottom, in which the points of the piles were firmly fixed. The piles were pointed at the base and irregularly fixed, 4 or 5 to the square yard, and varied in length from 3½ to 5 feet, with a diameter of 4 to 8 inches. Many prepared beams either of round or split stems, some over 20 feet in length, lay buried in the peat, as if they had fallen from a platform. Regazzoni draws attention to some short beams having a square-cut hole at each end. One of these beams measured 24½ inches long, 4¾ broad, and 3½ thick, and the holes were 2¾ by 1½ inches. The top of a tree whose branches were neatly chopped off at the distance of 6 or 7 inches from the stem was supposed to have been used as a ladder.

Castelfranco thinks the points of the piles were fashioned by some sharp-cutting instrument of metal, as some of the cuts were 11 inches long, and such as no stone weapon could have produced ("non credo che una scure di pietra sia mai stata capace di tanto"). This observation is very significant in face of the fact that there is no object of metal among the relics from Lagozza, with the exception of a fibula (=Fig. 61=, No. 18), found in the lower part of the turf and, therefore, outside the well-defined relic-bed. This fibula belongs to the early Iron Age, and it is doubtful whether it belonged to the inhabitants of the palafitte. The same author also states that where charcoal and partially burnt wood were in greater abundance there also the relics were more numerous, and hence he concludes that the settlement came to an end by a conflagration ("il risultato di un incendio generale o di parecchi parziali").

Among the industrial remains collected from Lagozza pottery takes the chief place. The quality is of two kinds, coarse and fine, the latter having a smooth black appearance and without any admixture of coarse sand. The vessels, of which a considerable number are whole or nearly so, consist of cups, bowls, plates, vases, spoons, etc. They are generally without handles, having, instead, perforated knobs, as may be seen from the accompanying illustrations (=Fig. 62=, Nos. 2, 6, 7, 9, and 15). The plates are sometimes ornamented with panels containing impressions of circles, dots, and lines (Nos. 3, 10, and 13). Some of the larger dishes have conical protuberances or finger-marks round the margin (Nos. 1 and 4).

The spindle-whorls, about 40 of which are in the Museum at Como, are somewhat peculiar, being flat circular cakes of burnt clay with a hole in the centre, and often ornamented with lines or rows of elliptical impressions (=Fig. 61=, Nos. 12 to 17).

There are some clay weights of the usual conical shape, and others kidney-shaped with a perforation at each end (=Fig. 62=, No. 14). In some of these weights bits of straw and grains of barley and wheat have been detected.

There is not a single article made of bone or horn, nor any trace of fishing or hunting gear, with the exception of one or two arrow-heads (=Fig. 61=, Nos. 5 and 6).

Stone celts are scarce, only about 30 in all, and none perforated (No. 10). One small implement is in the form of a double-edged axe, and adapted for cutting at both ends (No. 8).

Flint flakes or knives (Nos. 1 to 4) are numerous, but cores and chips are less frequent. Arrow-points are extremely few--only three have I seen in the Museum at Como, but their authenticity seems to be questioned by Castelfranco, who thinks they were not actually from the relic-bed in the palafitte. Among the usual stone objects, such as hammers, rubbers, etc., are to be noticed a number of white quartz pebbles and eight or nine small polished stones with scratched markings on them (=Fig. 62=, Nos. 11 and 12).

A wooden comb (=Fig. 61=, No. 11), with teeth at one side, is, I believe, the only specimen from any of the lake-dwellings in Italy.

Ornaments or charms are represented by one small pendant of green steatite perforated for suspension (No. 7).

As evidence that the inhabitants were in the habit of spinning and weaving, there are, besides the spindle-whorls and clay weights, bits of thread and cord, and one small fragment of coarsely-made linen tissue (No. 9). According to Professor Sordelli, this was made from wild flax (_Linum angustifolium_), of which he found the seeds and fibres in abundance, but no trace of the cultivated species. On the other hand, there were two kinds of wheat and the six-eared barley. Among the food-remains were the wild apple, acorns, hazel-nuts, stones of the cornel cherry, poppy-seeds, etc.

But the most remarkable feature of Lagozza is, that no animal bones of any description were found--not a tooth, or horn, or bone of any kind. Neither were there any warlike weapons, with the exception of the few questionable arrow-points. Castelfranco therefore suggests that the inhabitants of Lagozza might have been vegetarians. (B. 354, 359b, 372d´, 387, 409, 452, 456, and 459c.)

LAKE GARDA.

In 1851, while the harbour of Peschiera was being deepened, numerous bronze implements, associated with piles deeply buried in the bed of the lake, were found at a particular spot near the north mole of the fortress; but no special attention was paid to them. The bronze objects were laid aside by the workmen, and it is said that a quantity of them, weighing some 15 or 20 pounds, was sold as old metal. Of this find a very few were sent to the K. K. Antiken Cabinet in Vienna. In 1860 further deepening of the harbour became necessary, and again similar objects were found in the dredged-up stuff. These operations were conducted under the supervision of M. Lorenz and Col. von Silber, who, in the interests of archæology, collected and preserved the bronze objects. Subsequently, on its being suggested that this was a palafitte like those recently discovered in the Swiss lakes, Col. von Silber forwarded an assortment of the relics to Dr. Keller at Zürich, with the following explanatory notice of the circumstances in which they were found:--

"In deepening the entrance of the harbour at Peschiera for the newly-built gunboat, which was done by means of a mud-machine (called a 'paternoster') to a depth of 7 or 8 feet below the usual level of the water, the workmen found amongst the mud and sand brought up by the machine a great number of bronze implements. These were carefully preserved, for the sake of archæology, by Mr. Lorenz, the marine engineer, now residing at Pola, and myself. I was so uninitiated in this science, that when I found that the greater part of the objects had been taken up from a space of a very few square fathoms, I had the notion that a ship, laden with bronze, had been wrecked here, and it was not till a conversation which I had with Dr. Freudenberg, of Bonn, that I was led to believe that a lake-dwelling probably existed on this spot. This idea was corroborated by the fact that just in this place the working of the mud-machine was very much impeded by a number of burnt piles which were quite covered with the mud. Unfortunately, I fancied at first that these piles came from the fishermen's huts, which abound in this neighbourhood at the present day, so that I paid no attention to their position or arrangement. The piles which were drawn up were, on an average, 4 or 5 feet long, quite hidden under the sand, and burnt to such a degree that it is quite impossible for me to say with certainty what kinds of wood they were made of. I imagine, however, that the wood was chiefly that of the stone oak (_Quercus ilex_). The piles were 4 or 5 inches in diameter.

"Besides the bronze implements one of stone was found, which I believe to be a sling-stone. Lately, when reading the reports of the Swiss lake-dwellings, I remember the occurrence of a great number of pieces of burnt clay found in the mud. These pieces were of a blackish colour, remarkably thick, and without any definite form. I do not doubt that they have been fragments of the clay covering the huts of the lake-dwellings." (B. 119, 2nd ed., p. 364.)

These discoveries induced the eminent archæologist, Dr. E. Freiherr von Sacken, to visit Peschiera for the purpose of investigating into the reported Pfahlbau. In addition to his own special researches he had correct details of the results already obtained from Captain von Kostersitz, who was present, and carefully watched the excavations during the years 1860-1-2, and from these he drew up an admirable report, published in 1864 (B. 75), which clearly proved that there was here a true pile-dwelling of the Bronze Age.

In this report the following sectional description of the sedimentary strata is given:--

(1) In a depth of about 5 feet of water there was first a sandy layer from 2½ to 3 feet thick in which no relics were found.

(2) Beneath this layer of sand was the relic-bed, from 2 to 3½ feet thick, composed of a mossy deposit containing the remains of plants, organic _débris_, the industrial objects already referred to, and the tops of numerous piles.

(3) Underlying the relic-bed was a thick bed of stiff loam and sand, into which the piles deeply penetrated. These piles were generally of pine and oak, the former predominating in the proportion of two to one.

The dimensions of the lake-dwelling were not accurately ascertained, but the area covered by the dredging operations exceeded 10,000 square yards, and in most of this space piles were found. No stone implements were found, with the exception of the polished discoidal stone sent to Dr. Keller; but the number of bronze objects amounted to 250, most of which were sent to Vienna.

Professor Franz Unger made a careful study of the organic remains, and amongst the various fruits, plants, and wood identified by him the most interesting are rye (_Secale cereale_) and the vine (_Vitis vinifera_). The former has not yet been found in any of the terremare or lake-dwellings of North Italy.

The osseous remains represented the ordinary domestic animals--dog, sheep, goat, ox, horse, and pig--as well as the stag, roe, wild boar, etc.

Besides the bronze objects there were fragments of pottery and one or two Roman coins--one of Trajan and one of Domitian.

Meantime archæologists were on the look out for palafittes in other parts of the lake. It appears that as early as 1861 Cav. Martinati detected piles at a place called Rocca di Garda, near Bardolino, on the eastern shore of the lake, which he considered to be the remains of a pile-dwelling. Dr. Alberti also discovered similar evidence in two localities farther south, Il Bor and Porto di Pacengo, which he described in a letter to Martinati in 1864. (B. 77 and 355.) This stimulated the Accad. d'Agricoltura, Arti, e Commercio di Verona to appoint a Commission to investigate the matter; but their labours were soon afterwards discontinued owing to the political disturbances of 1866, and it was not till ten years later that these proposed archæological researches were resumed and the Commission re-constituted. Although on this occasion no bronze objects were found, it cannot be said that the explorations were altogether devoid of interest, as the existence of the reported palafittes was not only confirmed, but a considerable quantity of the osseous remains of the ordinary domestic animals, fragments of pottery (including handles known as _anse lunate_), and a wooden spoon were collected. But the Commission soon abandoned the work as profitless. Then it was that Mr. Alberto Cavazzocca, of Verona, commenced to search Il Bor on his own account, and succeeded in a couple of seasons in securing from it a small collection of antiquities, including objects of stone and bronze.

On the western and more sheltered shores of Lake Garda Professor Stoppani, of Milan, found traces of several stations, particularly in the Gulf San Felice di Scovolo, three of which were situated close to its northern shore, and two close to the Isola Lecchi on the landward side of the island. As few relics were found--only a few flint objects--and as the piles in all these stations were near the shore and in comparatively shallow water, Stoppani concluded they belonged to the Stone Age. These explorations were a sequence to the first researches in Lake Varese, so auspiciously initiated by Desor and Mortillet, and which Stoppani followed up by making an exploratory tour of the lakes of North Italy. The observations of Stoppani, however, have not been confirmed by any subsequent researches, though this particular locality is pre-eminently the most fitted for lake-dwellings in the whole of this extensive sheet of water. (B. 87.)

In 1879, under the skilful management of Cav. Stefano de Stefani (R. Ispettore degli Scavi, Verona), dredging operations were resumed at the old place in the harbour of Peschiera, which considerably added to the number of relics from this station.

In the spring of the following year De Stefani transferred his operations to an entirely new locality in the river Mincio, below the railway bridge, where the stream divides into a number of separate channels. Among the islands thus formed he had reason to suspect the existence of pile-dwellings, and in this expectation he was not disappointed, as he succeeded in finding not only the submerged piles and transverse beams, but also a large number of flint, and some bronze objects, and even a few Roman remains.

As both these investigations were undertaken by orders from the Minister of Public Instruction and at the expense of Government the relics were sent to enrich the prehistoric department of the Kircherian Museum at Rome.

The people of Verona were greatly chagrined to find that these successive discoveries, which had now attained much celebrity in archæological circles, were constantly slipping out of their hands, and that in their own local museum there was scarcely a single article illustrative of the culture and social condition of these early lake-dwellers. To rectify this state of matters and make some amends for their past neglect the Academical Commission was induced to order a fresh investigation under De Stefani, whose recent success was characterised as "risultati splendidissimi." Again the excavations of De Stefani were crowned with great success. In 1881 his attentions were directed to Peschiera, which yielded him a considerable number of articles, being the fourth important supply since its discovery in 1851. In 1883 the station in the Mincio was subjected to further explorations, and De Stefani's labours were rewarded by a rich harvest of relics, mostly of the Stone Age, which included many flint implements, as knives, hatchets, saws, arrow-points, etc.

The relics collected on both these occasions are now deposited in the Museo Civico at Verona, and at last this town shares with Rome, Vienna, and Zürich, the honour of possessing a collection of these remarkable remains. (B. 342, 358, 370, 424, and "Notizie degli Scavi, 1880 and 1884.")

From these general remarks it will be seen that there are only three lake-dwellings in Lake Garda that have yielded remains sufficiently comprehensive in quantity and variety to enable us to form some idea of the period to which they belonged, viz. the station close to the fortress of Peschiera, that in the Mincio, and that known as Il Bor on the south-east shore of the lake.

PESCHIERA.--Since the report of Baron v. Sacken the various researches conducted here have not thrown additional light on the general condition and distribution of the piles. De Stefani bears testimony to the accuracy of the facts as to the archæological stratum in which the relics were found, and observes that the overlying bed of sand and gravel sometimes attained a depth of over 4 feet. (B. 424, p. 9.) In it were found decomposed organic matter, bits of charcoal, fragments of pottery, and bronze objects. In the previous discoveries only one stone implement was recorded, so that the station was considered to be exclusively of the Bronze Age. Nor was its character in this respect much altered by the recent researches, as only a few implements of stone were found, viz. two knives or scrapers, one arrow-point and a few chips of flint, a round sling-stone of granite, and another of an oval form with marks of having been used. Nothing of importance was added as regards its _flora_ and _fauna_. De Stefani describes a curious object like a biscuit, picked out of the dredged stuff, which he considered might have been a cake of bread. It was made of viscous matter and measured 4 inches in diameter and ¾ of an inch thick, and contained bruised cereals; but, as he was examining it, it slipped through his fingers and again fell into the water. (B. 424, p. 10.)

This settlement appears to have flourished exclusively in the Bronze Age, as may be seen from a glance at the accompanying illustrations (=Figs. 63=, =64=, and =65=).

_Pottery._--The fragments of earthenware indicate a great variety of vessels made of two kinds of paste--a coarse and a fine quality. Of the latter, Nos. 26 to 30, =Fig. 65=, are sufficient to show that the ceramic art of the lake-dwellers was identical at one period of their existence with that of the terramaricoli in which the _anse lunate_ (No. 26) are so characteristic.

_Bronze._--Weapons, implements, and ornaments of this material are extremely numerous, numbering upwards of 300 objects. Among the weapons we find socketed lance-heads (=Fig. 64=, No. 10), daggers (No. 1 to 7), single-edged knives (No. 11), and a remarkable series of double-edged dagger-knives with riveted tangs or sword-like handles (=Fig. 65=, Nos. 10, and 12 to 14).

The implements include three kinds of hatchets (=Fig. 63=, No. 30; =Fig. 64=, No. 32, and =Fig. 65=, No. 11), chisels and gouges (=Fig. 63=, No. 36), sickles (No. 33), various forms of razors with handle and double cutting edges (Nos. 1 to 5), needles (No. 7), and fish-prongs and hooks (=Fig. 64=, Nos. 18 to 21, 30 and 31).

The ornamental objects are hair-pins, combs, pendants, bracelets, fibulæ, and a torque. Hair-pins are in great numbers and of extreme elegance both in form and ornamentation (profusely illustrated in =Figs. 63=, =64=, and =65=); among them are some with amber heads (=Fig. 63=, Nos. 9 and 10); some have flat, others disc-shaped, heads (Nos. 17, 18, and 25); especially interesting are those with heads made of various combinations of spirals (Nos. 21 to 27), as being identical with the hair-pins of the terremare. Combs are of bone (No. 29) as well as of bronze (No. 28). Pendants of curious and varied forms are also abundant (=Fig. 64=, Nos. 27 to 29), among which one (=Fig. 63=, No. 34) is of lead. The small ornamental cross represented by No. 26, =Fig. 64=, is of tin. The fibulæ are also of diversified forms, as may be seen from the illustrations (=Fig. 64=, Nos. 8, and 22 to 25). The bracelets are of two kinds, made of thin bands (=Fig. 63=, Nos. 31 and 32), one closed with a hook and the other open. Only one torque (No. 19) has been found at Peschiera, and in form it is similar to the few recorded from the Swiss lake-dwellings (=Fig. 10=, No. 3).

Finally there are a few spirals, bits of wire, and one special object of unknown use (=Fig. 64=, No. 17).

The relationship which these objects have to analogous remains in foreign countries is most exhaustively and ably dealt with by Professor Pigorini. (B. 310.)

MINCIO.--As the surplus water of Lake Garda, under the name Mincio, passes beyond the railway-bridge, it divides into two larger channels and some smaller ones, forming a series of acutely-pointed islands. The bed is here irregular, and at various points the tops of piles were seen in groups projecting from the bed of the river. The first explorations were in the larger channel to the left. Here De Stefani found several objects of antiquity, among which the following are the principal (B. 358):--

_Bronze._--The corroded blade of a knife-dagger (double-edged), portion of a dagger-blade with a mid-rib, portion of another with deep longitudinal grooves, portion of a small disc and portion of a spiral.

_Flint._--Two rectangularly-shaped hatchets, a saw (curved), a javelin, an arrow-point, a lance-head, small knives, and a large quantity of chips, cores, and crude flints.

_Pottery._--Two spindle-whorls, a quantity of handles and fragments of dishes.

_Staghorn._--A portion converted into the form of a hatchet, a hair-pin, and several other worked bits.

_Bones, etc._--A large quantity of teeth and bones of the ordinary domestic animals.

At another spot, 200 yards lower down in the central canal, amidst a group of piles he collected:--

_Bronze._--A knife (=Fig. 65=, No. 17), two small dagger-blades with rivet-holes, the point of a sickle, two bits of the cutting-ends of axes (paalstabs), two hair-pins 10 inches long and three smaller ones, a disc-shaped head of a pin, portions of a fibula, together with fragments of various other undetermined objects. One interesting relic is supposed to be the knob of a handle (No. 25).

_Stone._--One portion of a polished stone of basalt (No. 19).

_Flint._--The implements of this material were here in great abundance (Nos. 1 to 9). Eighteen hatchets, mostly of a rectangular form (No. 9); 60 saws (Nos. 5 and 6); 49 arrow-points (Nos. 1 to 4), of which one (No. 4) has four barbs and another is chisel-shaped (No. 8); 13 lance-heads (No. 7), etc.

_Amber._--Two beads, one reddish and the other yellow.

_Pottery._--Various fragments, especially handles of vessels of different forms--_cornuta_, _lunata_, _lagotis_, _bitubercolata_, etc. Some of the dishes were of fine black ware, among which I may note a spoon (No. 30), but generally the coarser kinds predominated. Spindle-whorls were also numerous and varied in form, not less than 31 being collected. There were also two large net weights, one round and the other ring-shaped.

_Staghorn._--Several worked bits: one was a portion of an ornamented comb and another part of a handle of some sort.

_Money._--Four coins, much corroded, supposed by De Stefani to be of the second half of the third century.

In 1883 De Stefani resumed his researches in the same place. (B. 424.) On this occasion the bronze objects were limited to one or two insignificant fragments; but, on the other hand, the flint implements increased--knives, saws, javelins, lance-heads and arrow-heads being in abundance. Among the other things I may mention two small stone discs perforated, probably used as spindle-whorls; a small bit of green glass, together with portions of worked and unworked horn, bone, etc.

The ornamental blade (=Fig. 65=, No. 18), a neat spiral-headed pin (No. 22), and a stud (No. 23), all of bronze, are in the collection of Dr. Rambotti, and said to be from the station in the Mincio.