Part 47

First in importance are the armlets or anklets, which greatly differ as regards size, form, and ornamentation (=Fig. 188=, etc.). They are closed or open. The former are solid or hollow rings, and either plain or ornamented with the usual geometrical figures of incised lines, circles, and dots variously combined. The open bracelets are more numerous, and have a wider range of style and pattern. Some consist of a stout wire, spirally grooved, in single or double ply (=Fig. 3=, No. 15), or a flat band with a terminal hook and eye for fastening when worn over the arm. Others are penannular, with flat expansions at each end, and the more massive are hollowed in the centre so as to reduce their weight. These latter are peculiar to the palafittes of Western Switzerland, having their greatest development in the lakes of Neuchâtel, Bienne, and Morat. They occur in Lake Bourget, but not to the same extent as the solid forms. Jet bracelets are rare, only one or two being recorded from the Swiss palafittes (=Fig. 11=, No. 14); but they are more numerous in Lake Bourget. One is of tin (=Fig. 188=, No. 3).

Pendants and such like ornaments affect so many different forms that it would be idle here to attempt to classify them. They have all one common element, viz. a perforation or ring at the top for suspension, and it is probable that many of them are merely individual parts of a compound ornament, like that found at Auvernier, and figured by Dr. Gross (B. 392, Pl. xxiii. 33), in which there are no less than fourteen different pendants hanging from a central wheel. But no doubt many of them, especially the larger forms, such as those found on the palafitte at Onens (=Fig. 189=, Nos. 1 to 3), must have been used as single decorations.

Necklaces formed by stringing together beads of various materials, such as that represented on =Fig. 11=, No. 1, were probably a common method of personal adornment; but of course they are seldom met with except as individual beads. Solid rings for the neck, or torques, are extremely rare, their entire number recorded from the lake-dwellings of the Bronze Age being less than half-a-dozen. They are all of one type, and similar to the two illustrations given in =Fig. 10=, No. 3, from Cortaillod, and =Fig. 63=, No. 19, from Peschiera.

Fibulæ were not quite so rare as the torques, and they appear to have been pretty equally distributed over the lake-dwelling area, both north and south of the Alps. Though well represented at Peschiera, their existence in the true terramara deposits is still a matter of contention among archæologists. From a glance at the various examples given in our illustrations (=Fig. 3=, No. 20; =Fig. 6=, Nos. 4, 9, and 10; =Fig. 12=, Nos. 4, 12, 14, and 26), etc., it will be seen that they occupy an intermediate place between the straight pin and the more highly developed and elaborate forms found among relics of later ages.

Pins are the most common objects among the industrial remains of the lake-dwellings, the total number found in the Swiss stations alone being approximately over 10,000. Their principal function was to adorn the hair, but no doubt some were used for other purposes, such as the fastening of garments, and so they took the place of the fibulæ. They are extremely varied in size and style of manufacture, being of all grades from an inch up to 30 inches in length, and from the simple unadorned stem with a mere knob for a head up to the highly decorated examples so numerously represented in our illustrations, such for example as those with massive heads in the form of a hollow globe (=Fig. 13=, No. 12), or cup (=Fig. 3=, No. 9), or expanded disc (=Fig. 10=, No. 24). Some had a loose ring for a head, to which in some instances bits of chains were attached (=Fig. 3=, No. 6). In Lake Bourget a few were found with flat wheel-shaped heads (=Fig. 189=, Nos. 4 and 5).

Bronze combs are fairly well represented both in the terremare and the lacustrine dwellings. They are almost invariably small, with a single or double row of teeth. Clasps for girdles like the one figured from Bourget (=Fig. 20=, No. 25) are in the Gross collection, as well as a few others of a slightly different form. Buttons, studs, chains, finger-rings of single or more coils, earrings, glass and amber beads are also so numerous and widely spread as to show that they were not merely exceptional objects among the lake-dwellers.

Several bronze dishes, not exceeding a dozen in all, have been found on several of the Swiss stations. They are in the form of small wide-mouthed cups of beaten bronze, with or without handles, and often ornamented with slightly raised knobs of repoussé work (=Fig. 10=, No. 20), or like small jars of cast bronze (=Fig. 3=, No. 22, and =Fig. 6=, No. 2). Fragments of larger dishes, like the Etruscan situlæ made of thin sheets riveted together, with massive handles also attached by rivets, have been found at Wollishofen (=Fig. 4=, Nos. 17 and 22).

Gold is only sparingly met with, and the objects are generally small or fragmentary. In this condition specimens of the precious metal are among the relics from Nidau, Moeringen (=Fig. 189=, No. 8), Auvernier, Concise, Cortaillod, Montilier, Wollishofen, and Lake Bourget, etc. A few objects are of tin, the most frequently met with being small wheels with four, five, or eight spokes, which are recorded from several stations, portion of a ring and a bracelet from Montilier (=Fig. 188=, No. 3), a small bar pierced with 16 holes from Corcelettes (=Fig. 189=, No. 12), and a pendant from Auvernier (No. 7), a small cross from Lake Garda (=Fig. 64=, No. 26), etc. Tin is also represented in small ingots and, as we shall afterwards more particularly notice, it was used to decorate the inside of various dishes of earthenware.

To these industrial objects, many of which had their prototypes in the Stone Age, we have to add a variety of appliances for carrying on the metallurgical art. Stone anvils gave place to bronze ones, and of these the most remarkable is that from Wollishofen (=Fig. 4=, No. 21). Moulds were generally made of sandstone or hardened clay, the former being the most numerous, and specimens may be seen in all the collections from the stations both north and south of the Alps. It will be recollected that the two valves of a mould for a winged celt made of bronze were found at Morges at a very early stage in lacustrine investigations (=Fig. 17=, No. 8). For many years this apparatus remained as a solitary and unique example of this kind of mould, but now three other valves, similar to those from Morges, have been found, one on each of the stations of Auvernier, Corcelettes, and Estavayer (=Fig. 9=, No. 22). Crucibles are abundantly represented. They are of various shapes and sizes, sometimes with a solid handle, as those from Rohenhausen and St. Blaise, and at other times with a short projection having a perforation through which a wooden stick could be inserted as a handle (=Fig. 184=, No. 3, and =Fig. 45=, No. 14). As further evidence that the founder practised his art _in situ_ we have various records of the finding of ingots of copper, tin, and lead; also slag, defective castings, scoriæ and refuse of smelting furnaces. In the Gross collection there is a circular cake of tin with a small ring for suspension similar to a leaden cake figured from Wollishofen (=Fig. 4=, No. 23). The huge mass of copper in the form of a double celt (=Fig. 186=, No. 10) was probably for the same end, and not intended as an implement at all.

In Dr. Evan's collection there is a remarkable bronze knife (=Fig. 190=) from Bourget, having the handle and blade made of one solid casting, which appears as if it had just been freshly extracted from the mould. It has evidently undergone no subsequent polish, and still retains a thin irregular rim all round, corresponding with the junction of the two halves of the stone mould.

It is not, however, to be supposed that I claim all the multifarious objects found in the _débris_ of the lake-dwellings as products of native art; on the contrary, I believe there are many objects, especially the more complicated and ornamental, which can be traced to foreign sources. But on the other hand the mere inspection of the extensive assortment of foundry materials, especially the variety of moulds which include swords (B. 282, Pl. liv. Fig 2, and B. 392, Pl. xxix. Fig. 11), daggers, spears, knives, sickles, all kinds of celts and chisels, bracelets, buckles, pins, rings, wheels, etc., leaves no doubt that the home industry in the manufacture of bronze was extensive and skilfully conducted. Indeed, the skill and ingenuity displayed in casting such a variety of objects can only excite our astonishment. How the series of involved and massive rings of cast bronze represented on =Fig. 10=, No. 1, was produced, is really a mystery. A model of such an object made of wax if embedded in soft clay, and subsequently hardened by exposure to heat so as to melt the wax and thus allow it to escape, might supply the founder with the requisite mould. But that this was the method adopted by the lacustrian founder is, of course, a mere conjecture.

That the horse was now domesticated and under the control of the lake-dwellers we have very circumstantial evidence in the discovery of bridle-bits, various ornaments for harness, and even a wheel and other mountings of a chariot or biga. For many years some curious and highly polished portions of horn from 4 to 7 inches in length, and perforated with three or more holes, one in the centre and the other at the extremities, were among the unexplained relics of the Bronze Age stations (=Fig. 191=, Nos. 3 and 4). The holes in these objects had a worn appearance, and it was noticed that the direction of the central aperture was always at right angles to those at the extremities. Their use however, remained a complete puzzle till the year 1872, when a remarkably fine and well preserved horse-bit of bronze was discovered at Moeringen (No. 7). The similarity of these horn objects to the side pieces of the bronze bit led to the conjecture that they were the analogous parts of horse-bits made of horn. The subsequent discovery of several other bronze bits, all of the same type, gradually strengthened this opinion; but whatever doubt might remain as to their function is now dispelled by the discovery at Corcelettes, in 1888, of a complete specimen made of two tines of staghorn with a transverse mouthpiece of bone (No. 1). Of the bronze bridle-bits found up to this time only three are entire, but there are several isolated side and centre pieces from the stations of Nidau, Moeringen, Auvernier, Corcelettes, and Estavayer (Nos. 5, 6, and 9). It will be observed that all the examples here figured (which include the most diverse forms), though differing in some details, are of the same type. The only marked difference in the two entire specimens is that one (No. 7) has the mouthpiece divided in the middle, whereas the other (No. 8) is one solid piece. This latter was found at Corcelettes and is now in the Lausanne Museum. The third entire specimen, which was also found at Corcelettes, appears from its illustration (B. 462) to be identical with No. 8.

According to Dr. Gross, No. 7 was made in one casting, thus proving the perfection to which bronze working was carried. All these specimens of horse-bits, so far as can be judged from the breadth of the mouthpiece, indicate very small horses, No 7 being 3½ inches between the side pieces, and No. 8 rather less than 4 inches.

The entire bridle-bit of horn is even still smaller, being only 2¾ inches wide. It is thus described by Dr. Brière (B. 461):--

"Cette intéressante pièce, en parfait état de conservation, se compose de 2 branches en bois de cerf, percées chacune de 3 trous evidées à la partie supérieure sur un profondeur de 3 centimètres et mesurant 18 centimètres de longeur, reliées entre' elles par la barre du mors qui est en os et mesure exactement 7 centimètres entre les 2 branches. Cette barre en os est creuse et pour assujettir la pièce aux branches, on a enfoncé de petits coins en corne de cerf pour combler le vide et pour la rendre solide."--_Antiqua_, 1888, p. 37.

Judging from the frequency with which the isolated side-pieces of bridle-bits made of horn have been found on almost all the bronze stations, no less than 12 being now preserved in the Munich Museum from Starnberg, and 14 in the Lausanne Museum from Corcelettes, the horse must have been common among the lake-dwellers. It will also be remembered that similar objects have been found in the terremare, and Dr. Carlo Boni thinks that a piece of rope was used instead of the stiff mouthpiece in the manner shown in No. 2.

There are various other objects which are supposed to have been used as ornaments for horse harness, such as the _phaleræ_ or bronze discs, rings, knobs, etc. The former (Nos. 11 to 13) are often slightly convex on one side and decorated with circles or small knobs formed in repoussé work, and on the other side there is a small loop for fastening it. Several horn and bone discs, especially those from Starnberg (=Fig. 36=, Nos. 24 and 30) suggest a similar usage.

Two curious bronze objects (=Fig. 191=, No. 10) found on the eastern shore of Lake Neuchâtel, one at Chevroux and the other at Estavayer, together with portion of a hollow tube of a similar style of ornamentation, remained for a long time unexplained. However, coupled with the bronze wheel found at Cortaillod (=Fig. 10=, No. 17) Dr. Keller showed that they were the handles and part of the top railing of an Etruscan biga or war chariot. (B. 336.)

The use of the long pins of brass with sword-like handles (_Säbelnadeln_) found on the stations of Wollishofen (=Fig. 4=, Nos. 9 and 10), Grosser Hafner (=Fig. 2=, No. 32), and the Grand City of Morges, is not yet sufficiently understood. In 1886 Major v. Tröltsch,[137] in a note to the Society of Anthropology in Berlin, directed attention to the fact that an object of the same kind was preserved in the Museum at Donaueschingen, which had been found in a Burgwall (_Lagerplatz_) on the Hohenhöwen, "einem der vulkanischen Bergkegel des Hegau's bei Singen." The object thus described by Major v. Tröltsch is precisely similar to that here figured from the Grosser Hafner (=Fig. 2=, No. 32). Its total length is 16½ inches, of which the pin takes up 13 inches and the terminal ring 1⅜ inch. The stem presents a square section, and in this respect it agrees with the examples found at Zürich and Morges. Subsequently Dr. L. v. Rau,[138] Mr. R Forrer,[139] and Mr. Heierli[140] contributed to the Society some further notes on these singular implements, but without coming to any agreement as to their function.

In addition to these bronze relics so numerously described and illustrated in the previous pages, there are many objects which cannot be classified under any of the previous headings, as their use is unknown. Fragments of small hollow globes are supposed to have been used as children's rattles. Examples of these have been found at Moeringen made of pottery, two of which, now in the Museum at Berne, are still perfect (=Fig. 193=, No. 9). Both objects are ornamented, and contain inside a piece of hardened clay which, when shaken, makes a jingling noise. In the Museum at Zürich there is, also from Moeringen, a small pendant like a bell now used on horse harness (=Fig. 189=, No. 17). Dr. Gross (B. 392, p. 75) describes a similar object found at Auvernier (=Fig. 189=, No. 18) as a perfume-box (cassolette). Among the more recent finds is the object represented on =Fig. 192=, which is supposed to be part of a mirror similar to those so frequently met with among Etruscan and Roman remains. (B. 420, p. 167.) We have already observed that on several of the Scottish crannogs there were found some thin stones, highly polished and circular or square, which are supposed to have been used for the same purpose. These stones, when moistened with water and looked at in certain conditions as regards light, are by no means a bad substitute for the more perfect reflecting mirrors of the present day.

These great innovations following in the wake of the metals could hardly fail to influence such a plastic art as that of the potter. Accordingly we find a better quality of paste, greater variety and elegance of form, and some approach to systematic decoration. There is one new form quite characteristic of this age which, were it not for the extreme elegance and harmony of all its parts, one would suppose indicated a retrograde movement. This was a small water-bottle-shaped vase, which, having a conical base, could not be made to sit upright upon a flat surface without some kind of support. This support is supposed to be a clay ring (=Fig. 2=, Nos. 2, 5, and 31), great numbers of which have been found in the Bronze Age stations. Ultimately colouring materials were introduced which considerably enhanced the effect of ornamentation on the dishes. Besides systematic patterns of recurring geometrical figures formed by lines in the soft clay, we sometimes find similar patterns traced on the surface of the vessels by means of thin strips of tin-foil made to adhere by means of a kind of gum or asphalt. The vessels thus manipulated were of extremely elegant forms, and made of a fine paste with a smooth black surface. This custom was particularly prevalent in Lake Bourget, but specimens have been found in some of the other lakes, as at Nidau, Hauterive, Cortaillod, Montilier, Estavayer, etc., but it is extremely rare in Eastern Switzerland. On =Fig. 193= I have shown a few additional specimens of pottery. No. 1 is the quarter of a dish shaped like a milk plate having a small flat base. It is perforated with groups of holes arranged systematically as shown in the illustration, and the inside is ornamented with a few incised circles. This dish, or rather percolator, was found in Lake Bourget, and formed part of Mr. Rabut's collection now in the British Museum. Another percolator, of similar shape and size, differently ornamented, and having a slight variation in the disposition of the grouped perforations, was found at Montilier, and is figured by Keller. (B. 126, Pl. v. 26.) No. 2 represents the quarter of a dish of the same form as the above, but without perforations. Its interior is adorned with strips of tin-foil (here represented in white) producing a wonderfully complicated design. This dish was found at Cortaillod, and is now in the Schwab Museum, along with an extremely handsome wide-mouthed vase, also from Cortaillod, the outside of which is similarly ornamented. In the latter case the upper part of the vessel is surrounded by small panels all having different designs made of circles, lines, and crosses. (See B. 126, Pl. xvi. 1.) No. 6 is a vase with conical base, from Hauterive, also adorned in the same fashion. In looking at these vessels ornamented with tin it is difficult to make out the designs, as the tin is now even blacker than the pottery. Hence, in Nos. 4 and 5, both of which are from Lake Bourget, the tin is represented by the dark lines. No. 3 represents a fragment of pottery, now preserved in the Museum at Aix-les-Bains, which shows how a broken dish had been mended by passing two or three plies of a tough grass or rush through a perforation on each side of the crack. After the fragments were thus brought together one of the rushes was twisted in a spiral manner round the others, evidently for protecting them from wear and tear. The remaining Nos. (7 to 10) illustrate some toy dishes and children's playthings from Moeringen and Auvernier.

The spindle-whorls of the Bronze Age are generally made of earthenware, and often highly ornamented, thus showing the improved taste of the people.

Among the more notable objects peculiar to the Bronze Age are certain polished stones, in the form of circular or oval discs with a marginal groove (=Fig. 194=). These stones were formerly reckoned to be sling-stones, but now they are generally recognised as potters' implements, used probably for fashioning the bases of the dishes.

There are many problems worthy of careful consideration suggested by the facts disclosed in these pages, but in this rapid sketch I can only refer to one or two in a cursory manner. First of all we have to inquire if the lake-dwellers practised religious rites. In support of the affirmative to this inquiry there are some indications, and the few objects capable of such an interpretation are illustrated on =Fig. 195=. In this category I include the following:--

(1) The highly ornamented wooden sticks or _bâtons de commandement_, from Castione (Nos. 1 and 2), and from Moeringen (No. 3). The only perfect example (No. 1) is rather less than sixteen inches in length, and the others do not appear to have been larger.

(2) The four remarkable bronze tubes with ring appendages from Lake Bourget (Gresine). These, though differing in size and some other respects, are all of one type, and were clearly conceived and wrought out on a uniform plan, and for some specific purpose. The most perfect of these objects (see page 102) appears to be complete, and consists of an ornamental tube, surrounded by three rows of fixed loops, three in each row, placed at regular distances, and to each loop there are three loose rings appended, as shown in the illustration (No. 4). The two previously illustrated (=Fig. 21=, Nos. 1 and 2) have only one ring in each of the nine loops, and it does not appear that there had been any more. The fourth, now preserved in the Museum at Chambery, is nearly as large as the perfect one; but it is greatly worn, and retains now only a few rings, some of the loops being broken or worn through. It is illustrated by Perrin. (B. 282, Pl. lxiv. 1.)

(3) The ornamental reniform rings (_Schwurring_) from Morges and Thonon (=Fig. 17=, Nos. 2 and 3), could not have been used as bracelets, and Dr. Forel suggests that they are analogous to the _armilla sacra_ on which the ancient Germans were wont to place their hands when about to swear a solemn oath. (B. 286, p. 46.)