Robert Munro

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.

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Fig. 24.—Robenhausen. Nos. 12 to 14, 16 to 22, and 24 = ¹/₄, 23 = ¹/₈, 26 = ¹/₁₀, and the rest = ¹/₂ real size.

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.

Fig. 25.—Robenhausen. All ²/₃ real size.

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.)

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Fig. 26.—Niederwyl. Nos. 5 to 7 = ¹/₆, 10 = ²/₃, and the rest = ¹/₃ real size.

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.

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Fig. 27.—Wangen. Nos. 5, and 17 to 19 = ¹/₄, and the rest = ¹/₂ real size.

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.)

LAKE OF CONSTANCE

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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.)

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Fig. 28.—Untersee (1, 4 to 7, 13, 16, 18, and 19), Mindlisee (2, 3, 11, 12, 14, and 15), and Bussensee. Nos. 10 and 12 = ¹/₄, and the rest = ¹/₂ real size.

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.

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Fig. 29.—Bay of Constance. Nos. 6 to 10 = ¹/₄, and the rest = ¹/₂ real size.

In 1882 the site of a station was discovered just opposite the public gardens, which goes under the name Frauenpfahl. Its area was determined to be about 130 yards long and 100 yards wide. The antiquities from it are hatchets of serpentine and chloromelanite, fragments of vases, a large bead of blue glass, a bronze hatchet, and a canoe.

During the same season (the water being then very low) another large station was discovered, running along the north shore of the bay near Hinterhausen. It extended in length for about 400 yards, with an average breadth of 50; and among its piles were found some hundreds of stone hatchets, worked objects of bone and horn, pottery, and a large assortment of the bones of various animals. (B. 381, 382, and 462.)

In passing to the Ueberlingersee the first station we come to is Staad, which lies immediately below Allmannsdorf; and a little farther on there is another, opposite the village of Egg, both of which are recent additions to the long list of lake-settlements known in this branch of the Lake of Constance. Beyond the bridge which joins Insel Mainau to the mainland lies the dÉbris of a very large settlement which formed at least two villages. That next to LÜtzelstetten is characterised by its high-class pottery of the Stone Age. Along the shore stone celts are met with all the way to the village of Dingelsdorf, immediately opposite to which is a settlement of the Stone Age.

The next station was near Wallhausen, which, owing to the number of flint implements collected on it, goes among collectors under the name of "Flint Island." Among the celts found here are a few of nephrite and one of polished flint. (B. 462, p. 4.) Large collections have been made from this station, one of which, according to Mr. BÖll, was lately sold for £60. (B. 378.)

From Wallhausen northwards neither piles nor any industrial remains are met with till we come to Bodmann. This is, no doubt, owing to the abrupt nature of the coast which renders the lake-margin unsuitable for such structures.

Bodmann.—At this town the hills again recede, and leave an open valley stretching away westwards, through which the stream Stockach flows and empties itself into the head of the lake. Here there were two settlements which have yielded an enormous amount of industrial remains. The most recent haul was in 1888, the largest portion of which went to the Rosgarten Museum. When I last visited Constance (August, 1888), the stuff was still at Mr. Leiner's private residence, and it was perfectly appalling to see the number of boxes, barrels, etc., in which the materials were stowed away. Besides the Rosgarten Museum, there are good collections from these stations at Friedrichshafen, the Steinhaus Museum at Ueberlingen, and at Bodmann itself (formerly in the Schloss, but now at the private residence of Mr. Ley).

The results of the earlier explorations have been described by MM. Ley and Dehoff (B. 61 and 126), and some notes of the more recent finds are given by Leiner and BÖll. (B. 378, 381, and 382.)

The first station was close to the present landing-stage, and the piles have been observed to hug the shore in a narrow band for several hundred yards. In one spot measuring some 30 yards by 10, flint implements and refuse, including all manner of chips, were found in such astonishing quantity as to give rise to the opinion that it was the site of a flint factory. Mr. Dehoff states that so numerous were the flints here that, before the introduction of lucifer matches, and as far as the memory of man goes back, it supplied the whole neighbourhood with the flints required, and was actually worked as a business for this purpose. Mr. Ley describes the relic-bed as consisting of two strata, separated by a thin layer of mud, and buried beneath a bed of gravel 1¼ to 2 feet thick. The lower stratum was from half a foot to a foot thick, and lay immediately over the original lake-sediment. In some parts this layer appeared to be covered by a thin deposit of carbonised materials.

The second relic-bed was but half the thickness of the former, and, according to Mr. Ley, it was only in it that perforated axe-heads were found; and in its other remains, such as pottery, he sees evidence of progress and improved handicraft.

Among the more noteworthy objects from Bodmann (Fig. 30) are fish-spears of horn, with two and four prongs (Nos. 3 and 5); fish-hooks and other implements of bone (Nos. 1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 8, 10, 14 and 19); a bow of yew wood; a celt and a sickle of flint; a vessel containing no less than 600 perforated beads of Jura limestone; goblet-like dishes of blackish earthenware with conical bases (No. 21); and curiously-ornamented vases (No. 20); a saw in its casing, supposed to be made of reindeer horn (No. 17); clay spindle-whorls (No. 18). Nos. 7, 8, 14, 15, 17, and 18, are from the recent find.

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Fig. 30.—Bodmann. Nos. 20 and 21 = ¹/₄, and the rest = ¹/₂ real size.

About 500 or 600 yards farther north, and close to the farthest off point of the Ueberlingersee, Mr. Ley discovered the remains of a second settlement, which he thinks was constructed in the Bronze Age. Not only were bronze and iron objects found on it, but the piles are much less decayed than those of the previously described station; moreover, there were marks on some he had drawn up from a depth of six feet which could only have been produced by sharp cutting implements. It goes under the name of Schachen; but it is difficult to say from which station the numerous objects exposed in the museums have come, as they are indiscriminately marked "Bodmann." According to Mr. Ley, this settlement was of large extent, but the greater part of it is deeply buried in mud, and not easily explored. The bronze objects described by Mr. Ley are three celts, two of the flat type (Nos. 12 and 13) and one winged (No. 11), and a pin. Those of iron are a knife, two arrow-heads, and portion of a fish-hook. A fibula in Rosgarten Museum marked "Bodmann" is of the Roman period (No. 9), but this is not surprising, as there are many Roman remains in the neighbourhood. Split beams of oak, and others with square mortised holes (like those from ZÜrich, Fig. 2, Nos. 13 and 14) were fished up here, thus bearing out Keller's idea that such beams were only used where the mud is soft. Some elegant vases, one ornamented like those from Schussenried (No. 20), and horn objects, are reported from it. (B. 462.) In the Museum at Ueberlingen there are a few bronze and iron objects from Pfahlbau Bodmann, as a bracelet of bronze wire, pins, needles, a ring, a lance-head, and two small figurines (Fig. 195, Nos. 15 and 16).

Ludwigshafen.—Turning the head of the Ueberlingersee we come to the village of Ludwigshafen, where recently piles have been detected in two places, one of which has turned out to be exceedingly rich in staghorn implements—so much so as to suggest the idea that it was a special factory for this material. This station was about 30 yards from the shore, and in the vicinity of its remains it was long known that Roman tiles lay scattered about. These tiles are of two kinds, hollow and flat, the latter measuring 12 by 7 inches.

Sipplingen.—There are two stations at Sipplingen—one, at the east end of the village, covering nearly 30 acres. The second is only about 4 acres in extent, but it has not been carefully explored. Its chief interest lies in the statement made by Mr. BÖll that a large quantity of wood was observed lying in the mud, and among the beams an iron sword, believed to be of Roman origin, was found. Close to this station was found the wreck of a badly-constructed boat, which had no nails, but was kept together by copper wire. (B. 378, p. 97.) The former station is the more interesting, as it has furnished objects characteristic of the three Ages of Stone, Bronze, and Iron, as well as of Roman, Allemanish, and Frankish times. According to Dr. Lachmann (B. 126), the great majority of the relics belong to the Stone Age, with very few of the Bronze Age. Among the objects of more recent times were the following of iron:—A lance-point, three arrow-heads, two sickles, a one-edged sword, and a Roman key. What is still more puzzling is the finding of glass in considerable quantities here. It is of two kinds, and one bit was ornamented with gold enamel. Among the more recent finds are pottery representing large vessels, with a rim and perforated knobs for suspension, and a large flint celt weighing three pounds. (B. 378.)

Some goblets with conical bases, supposed to be crucibles, have been found here, as well as at Bodmann (Fig. 30, No. 21), but they appear to me to indicate the commencement of the Bronze Age when such forms came into general use.

It may be further noted that among these relics are about 100 examples of egg-shaped stones which were found in one place, a few hatchets and chisels of nephrite, and a small copper celt encased, when found, in a clay coating, probably the mould in which it was cast.

Another small station, the dÉbris of which is deeply buried, was near St. Catherina, not far from BrÜnnensbach, which has also yielded objects of more recent times. (B. 462.)

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Fig. 31.—Nussdorf, Maurach, LÜtzelstetten, etc. No. 24 = ¹/₄, 26 and 27 = ¹/₈, and the rest = ¹/₂; real size.

Nussdorf.—The settlement at Nussdorf covered about three acres in the form of a parallelogram. The piles are mostly round, generally about two feet apart, but sometimes in groups. This station was the first discovered by Mr. Ullersberger, in 1862, and is important for the number of antiquities it has yielded of the pure Stone Age. Dr. Lachmann describes the early investigations and discoveries with great minuteness. (B. 126.) Among the flint objects were about 100 specimens of arrow-points and lance-heads (Fig. 31, Nos. 1 to 5), in all gradations of sizes, and 80 saws, piercers, and knives. The saws were in general 3½ inches in length and 2 wide, and eight still retain their handles. Stone celts, chisels, and hammer-axes (No. 20) numbered about 1,000, and of these about 50 celts were made of nephrite. Horn fixings were used for some of the celts; but there were wooden handles with a cleft, which showed that they were hafted in a variety of ways. The perforated axes were comparatively rare, only about 50 being in the collection. The perforations are both circular and oval.

Clay spindle-whorls (Nos. 14 and 15) and loom-weights were well represented, but pottery was both scarce and of indifferent quality. Of bone and horn there were several hundred objects, including chisels (No. 8), awls, daggers (Nos. 11 to 13), various kinds of pins (No. 10), three combs (Nos. 6 and 7), 16 perforated hammers of staghorn (No. 23), perforated teeth, a fish-hook of boar's tusk (No. 22), etc.

Maurach.—About half-way between Nussdorf and Unter-Uhldingen lies the site of the famous station at Maurach. It was discovered during the winter of 1862-3, and was among those investigated by Mr. Ullersberger. It appears that in 1839 a dam or dyke was built here, which covered a portion of the area occupied by the lake-settlement, so that it could only be partially explored. The piles came close up to the shore, but stretched out into the lake for about 1,000 feet, covering some 8 acres. According to Dr. Lachmann, the antiquities, about 600 of which were collected, were precisely similar to those from Nussdorf. Stone axes were met with in all stages of manufacture, but hardly any pottery. A flattened bead of amber and four copper celts (Fig. 31, Nos. 16 to 19) are the only further noteworthy objects included among those from the earlier investigations. (B. 126.)

It was not till 1880, when the dyke above referred to was being repaired, that the special feature which now characterises this settlement became known. Among the stone hatchets then found were nearly 500 of nephrite, of which two-thirds were tolerably well made. But more interesting is the fact that nephrite was found in the crude state, in the form of unworked bits and chips, from the size of a finger-nail up to 3 inches in length and 2 inches in breadth; so that there can be no doubt that this material was worked on the spot. These later finds have gone chiefly to the Rosgarten Museum. Mr. Leiner, writing in 1882 (B. 381), states that from the various stations on the Ueberlingersee he received 800 nephrite, 12 jadeite, 11 chloromelanite, and one saussurite, hatchets or chisels.

Unter-Uhldingen.—Dr. Lachmann describes two settlements which have left their remains near the village of Unter-Uhldingen, about 1,000 feet from the shore and nearly a mile apart, and each covering about 8 to 10 acres. On the other hand, Mr. BÖll makes mention of only one station, which he characterises as the largest in Lake Constance, covering some 30 acres. Both stations contained several well-defined steinbergs—three in one and four in the other—in which were cross-beams binding the piles together, like the steinberg at Nidau. The relics belong to all ages, and indicate a continued duration from the Stone Age down to the Roman period, if not even for some centuries later. The Stone Age relics are similar to those found on the other stations in the Ueberlingersee. Dr. Lachmann describes among the flint saws one 9½ inches long. The celts, chisels, and axes numbered about 300, and the spindle-whorls 40. Pottery was more abundantly met with here, and better made, than in any of the other stations. About 130 fragments and whole dishes indicate a great variety of vessels—cups, jars, vases, covers, etc. Some had handles, and others were ornamented in a variety of ways (Fig. 32, No. 27); and, besides the Bronze Age pottery, there were bits of red earthenware, the well-known Samian ware (terra sigillata) of the Romans.

The special feature, however, of this station lies in the number of bronze objects it has yielded. In the Ullersberger collection Dr. Lachmann describes six lance-points (No. 17); 16 hatchets with wings (Nos. 2 and 3), two with sockets (No. 1), and a few of the flat type (Nos. 29 and 30); 25 knife-blades (Nos. 9 and 12); four armlets, two ornamented (Nos. 21 and 22); some sickles (No. 23), fish-hooks (Nos. 18 and 19), rings, and more than 100 hair-pins (Nos. 4 to 8, 14, 24, and 25). Also about 40 objects of iron, including a few lance (No. 26) and arrow-heads, one axe, several knives, two pruning-hooks (No. 11), some iron rings, a fibula (No. 15), portion of a two-edged sword, a short sword with a wooden handle, an implement like a fork, a pair of pincers, etc. Besides these, there is another collection of similar implements of bronze and iron in the Museum of Friedrichshafen. Among the iron objects here are two of the so-called pruning-knives (Hippen), a hammer-axe, two harpoons, some arrow-heads and rings, a fibula (La TÈne type), six horseshoes, a dagger, and a girdle-hook.

Here, as well as at Sipplingen, a quantity of well-made glass was found on the site of the settlement, consisting chiefly of the bottoms of goblets of a greenish colour, which, according to Mr. Hofrath Klemm, of Dresden, belonged to the sixth or seventh century after Christ. Very few objects of bone and horn were found at Unter-Uhldingen.

Fig. 32.—Unter-Uhldingen. Nos. 20 and 26 = ¹/₄, and the rest = ¹/₂ real size.

The collection of antiquities from the north shore of the Ueberlingersee, including the settlements Nussdorf, Maurach, Unter-Uhldingen, and Sipplingen, made by Mr. Ullersberger and Dr. Lachmann, previous to 1865, was purchased by the Wurtemburg Government, and is now in the Museum at Stuttgart. Since then a considerable number of objects have been found, which are dispersed among the local museums and private collections, as may be seen from an inspection of the Museums at Constance, Ueberlingen, Friedrichshafen, Bregenz, and Bodmann.

Leaving the northern branch of the Lake of Constance, and still following the coast, we come, a little beyond Meersburg, to a couple of stations, Haltnau and Hagnau, both of which subsisted during the early Bronze Age. From Haltnau a considerable number of mixed relics, including a bronze spear-head and hatchet, two large vases, beautiful stone chisels and perforated axes, implements of nephrite, etc. (B. 378.) In the Rosgarten Museum there are a few things of bronze, as a knife, a small chisel or awl, like Fig. 32, No. 13, a flat hatchet (Fig. 33, No. 3), and a pendant (No. 13). Of late years Hagnau has yielded a large number of bronze objects, including knives (No. 9), sickles, spirals, bracelets (No. 6), flat hatchets (Nos. 1, 2, and 4), two with wings, also pendants, lance-heads, portion of sword-blade, and about 200 hair-pins (Nos. 7, 8, and 10). (B. 381 and 462.) The few illustrations of these objects here given are from the Museums of Constance and Friedrichshafen. The stations at Immenstaad, Fischbach, and Manzell are rich in good specimens of jade. From Manzell comes one of the finest chloromelanite hatchets found in this neighbourhood, and also a small one of jadeite, both of which are in the Museum at Friedrichshafen.

Near Lindau, between the Villa Amsee and Aeschbach, there appears to have been a settlement, from which a few relics have gone to the Museums at Munich and Bregenz. (B. 462.)

The stations along the southern shore of the Bodensee have not as yet been so productive in industrial remains as those of the more sheltered Untersee and Ueberlingersee, but nevertheless there is sufficient evidence to show that they existed along the coast, as will be seen from the following list of their sites, which are successively met with between Rorschach and the town of Constance, viz. Arbon, Romanshorn, Kesswil, Moosburg, and Rothfarb near GÜttingen, Altnau, Landschlacht, MÜnsterlingen, Bottighofen, and Kreuzlingen. With the exception of the station at Arbon, the remains of these settlements consist of more or fewer piles, and a sprinkling of stone and flint implements. The shore from Kreuzlingen to Constance was found in 1882 to be continuously studded with piles, and among them a large number of relics was picked up, including several implements of nephrite and jadeite, an amber bead, and a large flint hatchet. (B. 462.) The two fragments of stone axes, Nos. 14 and 15, illustrated on Fig. 29, are from this part of the lake.

Bleiche-Arbon.—In 1885 Messikommer relates that during the very low state of the lake in 1882 he was requested to visit Arbon, and make an inquiry regarding the discovery of some prehistoric implements along the shore, which were supposed to indicate the existence of a lake-dwelling in the neighbourhood. In the places referred to he found some flint saws and other implements, but, notwithstanding his well-known experience in lake-dwelling research, he failed to find piles; and the only result of his visit was the discovery of the ruins of a Roman watch-tower near the mouth of the harbour.

On the 19th of September, 1885, Messikommer again received a message from the authorities of Arbon to repair to their town, as this time there could be no doubt that the remains of a true Pfahlbau had been found. The site of this new discovery was not the seashore, but the flat land stretching between Arbon and Steinach. Here, in the course of excavations for a water supply to the town, the workmen came upon piles with cross-timbers, among which were interspersed various relics of human industry. The place where these discoveries were made was about a kilomÈtre from Arbon, and close by the road to St. Gallen. On a section being exposed, the following layers were observed:—First half a foot of soil, then a foot of loam, and under this a stratified deposit of sand and gravel, about 3 feet in thickness, containing fresh-water shells. The relic-bed was from 1 foot to 1½ foot thick, and in it were found stone hatchets; fragments of sawn stones, apparently the refuse of manufactured implements; corn-crushers; four perforated horn hammers, "Feldhacken;" several bone objects—needles, chisels, awls, daggers; a knife-like implement made of a wild boar's tusk, and another made of yew-wood; an oar; fragments of ornamented pottery, etc. Also there were barley, numerous seeds and fruits, shells of hazel-nuts, the skull of a dog, and a quantity of osseous remains, representing the urus, bison, stag, cow, pig, bear, etc. (B. 431, 434c, and 462.)

MINDLISEE AND BUSSENSEE.

In the vicinity of Constance are two small lakes or bogs which have yielded important remains of lake-dwellings. These are the Bussensee and Mindlisee, both situated in the tract of country stretching between the Untersee and the Ueberlingersee. The former is near LÜtzelstetten, and in its marginal peat there have been found the following antiquities:—A wooden dish cut out of an alder-trunk, measuring 13 inches in diameter; two amber beads—one a perforated disc 1½ inch in diameter (Fig. 28, No. 8), similar to one found at Ober-Meilen, and said to have been in the possession of the late Mr. Aepli, and the other a small ordinary bead (No. 9). Also several articles of stone, horn, copper, and bronze. A curiosity is a portion of the shell of a tortoise perforated with two holes for suspension (No. 17). Also a female human skull of the dolichocephalic type.[25]

The Mindlisee is near MÖggingen, and its Pfahlbau is more difficult of investigation, owing to the bogginess of the peat. Some of the antiquities from this locality, and now in the Museum at Constance, consist of fragments of pottery, two ornamented pins and a dagger of copper (Nos. 2, 3 and 11), some bronze objects (Nos. 14 and 15), and a curiously shaped stone, like a hatchet and handle in one piece (No. 12). (B. 381 and 462.)

FEDERSEE.

The settlement in the Federsee was reported on by OberfÖrster Frank, of Schussenried, in 1876, being the result of systematic investigations conducted by him during the previous year. (B. 285.) It was situated in the south-east corner of an extensive tract of peat which now largely occupies the ancient basin of the Federsee, at a place about three miles distant from the present small lake, and 380 yards from its ancient or glacial margin. Immediately over the glacial dÉbris in which this basin is formed there lies a layer of whitish clay, "Weissergrund," about 15 inches thick, and then follows peat for a thickness of 10 or 12 feet. The lake-dwelling remains are met with at a depth of 6½ feet, but it is impossible to form a correct idea of the extent of the entire settlement, as it is only a portion that has been exposed. At this depth in the peat wooden platforms are met with, formed of layers of round or split timbers lying transversely one above the other, and forming a kind of fascine structure. Between the wooden layers there is always placed a bed of clay, the number of which varies from three to eight, so that there is no uniformity in the thickness represented by these structures.

Inserted through these solid masses of clay and wood, at intervals of about 2¼ feet, were upright beams, only some of which reached the Weissergrund. These piles were slender, only about 4 inches in diameter, and showed no evidence of having either mortises or tenons by which they could be joined with the horizontal beams.

Relics were found not only on the surface of these fascine structures, but also in the clay between the successive layers or platforms, and even underneath the lowest, down as far as the Weissergrund, but never actually in the latter. Between the lowest layers of woodwork and the Weissergrund there is sometimes a space of 4 or 5 feet in which horns, broken bones, and other relics are found; but it is "above and between the horizontal layers of timbers, and chiefly in the immediate neighbourhood of the upright piles, that implements of all kinds are met with—of flint, stone, horn, bone, teeth, and wood; also earthenware vessels and spoons quite perfect."

In June, 1879, Mr. Frank was fortunate in finding the actual foundation of a hut, showing the flooring and portions of the side walls, the dimensions and other particulars of which I will afterwards discuss.[26]

There was no evidence that this settlement, like so many in Switzerland, came to an end by means of a conflagration; and, indeed, the freshness of the upper woodwork and the absence of burnt faggots, etc., negatived the idea of such a catastrophe.

The antiquities found on these remarkable peat dwellings are supposed to belong exclusively to the Stone Age, as hitherto no objects of metal have been found among them (Figs. 34 and 35).

Pottery.—A large quantity of whole and broken dishes are in Mr. Frank's collection. They are sometimes of a greyish colour, and at other times black, as if polished with soot or graphite. The paste is either fine and smooth or mixed with coarse sand, and it is of this latter quality that the larger vessels are made. Of some 140 specimens in Mr. Frank's collection the largest is 12 inches high. Both handles and perforated knobs have been in use. A few fragments of a fine yellowish paste are highly ornamented (Fig. 34, Nos. 17, 24, and 25). The fine black pottery consists of pretty jars, bowls, spoons, etc., which are often ornamented with a combination of lines, points, checks, knobs, etc. It is curious that there are no spindle-whorls, and only one object that can be considered to be a loom-weight.

Stone.—Flint implements to the number of 40, such as saws, arrow-points, and scrapers, are well made (Nos. 1 to 8). One semicircular saw is interesting as being a northern type, which, however, is not in Mr. Frank's collection, but in the Museum of Natural History at Stuttgart (No. 20). Of several stone hatchets some are plain and others perforated and beautifully polished, a few of which are still in their horn or wooden handles (Nos. 9 to 14 and 19). (No horn holders with square tops for insertion into wooden handles are in the collection.) The stone implements are generally made of granite or serpentine, one only being of jadeite (sp. gr. 3·360). A small bit of red stone is perforated with three holes, precisely like similar objects from Robenhausen (Fig. 24, Nos. 5 and 6).

Horn and Bone, etc.—- Of horn there are two scoops (Fig. 35, No. 6), and some perforated hammers (No. 7), one of which has portion of the wooden handle in it. There are also spoons of horn, as well as small bone chisels, daggers, pins, knives, haftings, etc. (Fig. 34, Nos. 15 and 16), perforated teeth, and some cutting implements of boars' teeth. Portion of the handle of a stone celt, still in its socket, is interesting, as showing a wedge which had been inserted so as to fix it more thoroughly, just as is done at the present day. A piece of wood, showing clearly the marks of a stone axe, is preserved by Mr. Frank in a liquid, as well as various wooden dishes.

Organic and other Remains.—Bits of rope and coarse matting made of bast, but no cloth, were found. As regards the latter, it was with special interest that I was shown a large consolidated mass of a black material, made of grains of wheat, which most distinctly retained the impression of a finely woven tissue, evidently that of the sack in which the grain had been kept. Other curious objects are two lumps of asphalt, one of which weighs three-quarters of a pound, and a dish filled with birch-bark in little rolls. Dr. Dom, of TÜbingen,[27] believes that this so-called asphalt was a product of birch-bark, used by the lake-dwellers when mixed with a black powder for smearing over their dishes.

The eminent Professor Fraas, of Stuttgart, identified the following animals among the osseous remains submitted to him, viz. stag, roe, pig, bear, wolf, fox, lynx, hare, and bison (wild); and the dog, ox, marsh-pig, and sheep (domestic). It is noteworthy that neither the horse nor goat is here represented. (B. 303.)

Wheat, found plentifully, was determined by Professor Hegelmaier to be a large-grained variety of the common species (Triticum vulgare). Among other fruits and seeds were linseed, acorns, beech-nuts, hazel-nuts, etc. Pine was not among the wood.

In a jar was found a greyish-black powder, which on analysis proved to be carbonate of lime in combination with a bituminous substance. Another powder was found to be red oxide of iron.

One small bead, of bright red colour, like coral, finds a place in the Schussenried Collection; but the following objects are wanting, viz. clay ring supports, leather, cloth, bread, apples and pears, usually found in lake-dwellings.

From the facts recorded in Mr. Frank's long article, it would appear that the settlers at Schussenried commenced their residence before the girdle of peat, which now covers so largely the ancient bed of the Federsee, extended very far from the shore assigned to it by the retiring glaciers; and that since they abandoned their dwellings not less than 6 or 7 feet of peat have grown over them.

OLZREUTHERSEE.

About two kilomÈtres north-east of Schussenried lies a small lake—Olzreuthersee—in which Mr. Frank has discovered the remains of a Pfahlbau of similar character to that just described.

Being informed that flint and staghorn implements were turned up in a field close to this lake, he at once visited the spot, and recognised the site of a lake-dwelling, situated in a small peninsula some 800 square yards in extent, and rising 1½ foot above the water, which enclosed it on three sides. Here woodwork, pottery, and other dÉbris of human occupancy were found embedded in a relic-bed rather less than a foot in thickness. The pottery was much broken, but it resembled that from Schussenried, both in quality and style of ornamentation. As at Schussenried also, neither spindle-whorls nor net-weights were found. Of 784 bits of flint collected, 178 were worked. They are thus classified:—47 arrow-points, 57 scrapers, 38 knives, 16 saws, and 20 of an undetermined character. Some of the arrow-points and saws are particularly well made. Of stone implements there were 11 axes of local materials (a few of which were perforated), and 3 hatchets and 4 chisels of nephrite. The nephrite hatchets were small, the largest measuring only 1½ inch by 1¼ inch, and the chisels were 2 inches to 3 inches in length by ¼ inch to 1 inch in breadth. There were besides several corn-crushers, 28 staghorn implements, some perforated, and rolls of birch-bark, etc., but no trace of any metal. Also a few needles, awls, and small chisels.

Mr. Frank draws attention to the remarkable fact, that while here there were nephrite objects, and no jadeite, the very opposite was the case at Schussenried. (B. 395.)

DANUBIAN BASIN.

Crossing over to the great Bavarian plateau which commands the sources of the Danube, there are on the northern flanks of the Alpine chain of mountains a series of lakes, many of which have been shown to contain remains of lake-dwellings. Those which have been sufficiently investigated to claim a notice here are the following:—WÜrmsee, Mondsee, Fuschlsee, Attersee, and Neusiedlersee.

LAKE OF STARNBERG (WÜRMSEE).

The Lake of Starnberg lies about 18 miles to the south of Munich, close to the spurs of the great Alpine chain of mountains. The coast is an undulating upland, interspersed with woods, villas, pleasure-grounds, and pretty villages—a passing glimpse of which, together with a constant view of the snow-clad mountains in the distance, renders a trip on this lake one of the most enjoyable attractions to Munich. At its northern end, where its surplus water is carried off by the WÜrm, it is only about a mile in breadth, but as we sail southwards it expands considerably, and ultimately attains a breadth of three or four miles, with a total length of 12 miles. About four miles up on its western side there is a low but prettily wooded island, called Rosen Insel since 1850, because it was then purchased by the King of Bavaria. Here a royal residence was built on the ruins of an old ecclesiastical establishment, and when its foundations were being dug various sepulchral remains of a mixed character were met with—prehistoric, Roman, and mediÆval. Tradition says that the island was originally the site of a heathen temple and a sacred burying-place, which was subsequently appropriated by the Christians and used for similar purposes.

When Professor Desor visited the locality in 1864 in search of lake-dwelling remains, he found on the western margin of this island numerous piles, associated with some antiquities of the lacustrine kind so largely found in the Swiss lakes, from which he concluded that this was the site of a pile-village, and suggested that the whole island might be of an artificial nature. During the following year some further excavations were made, but no important results ensued beyond corroborating the opinion of Desor.

In 1874, however, advantage was taken of the low state of the water, and extensive excavations were made under the superintendence of Mr. v. Schab, the Government law-officer at Starnberg. Numerous shafts were dug on the margin of the island, and in all cases a relic-bed was encountered containing antiquities, apparently of very different ages. Not only was there abundance of the usual relics of the Stone Age, but also some of bronze, iron, glass, amber, etc. The collection of objects then made is thus summarised in Mr. v. Schab's report (B. 291):—Of staghorn 187, bronze 158, stone 69, bone 48, wood 7, iron 6, glass 3, and amber 1. The collection is deposited in the Ethnological Museum of Munich, from which I have had the privilege of taking most of the accompanying illustrations (Figs. 36 and 37). There appear to be more objects in the case in the Museum from the Starnberg lake-dwelling than Von Schab describes, as, for example, the bronze socketed celt (Fig. 36, No. 9), but on the other hand it is well known that some have fallen into private hands.

Stone.—The flint from this station is of a bluish-grey colour, and does not correspond with the French kind. The articles made from this substance are chips, arrow-points, lance-heads, scrapers, saws, etc. (Fig. 37, Nos. 14 and 15). Of nephrite there are one or two specimens in the form of small cutting implements; of ordinary stone celts there are a few more or less perfect (No. 17), and one is in a horn casing (No. 12); also some polishers, and grindstones.

Horn, etc.—Various kinds of hafting; about 12 bridle-guiders, a few of which are whole (Nos. 2 and 3); several perforated hammer-axes (Nos. 11 and 13); bone daggers, perforated boars' tusks, awls, etc. The most remarkable objects are two or three large bone discs ornamented (Fig. 36, Nos. 24 and 30).

Bronze.—Portion of a solid bracelet ornamented with lines and concentric circles, awls and chisels (Nos. 5 and 19), knives (Nos. 1, 2, and 7), daggers (No. 8), hatchets (Nos. 9, 12, and 20), ornamented pins (Nos. 3, 4, 6, etc.), fibulÆ (Nos. 21 and 22), needles (No. 13), arrow-points (No. 14), fish-hooks (No. 27), one sickle (No. 18), portion of an ornamented plate (No. 25).

Iron.—A large knife (Fig. 37, No. 1), a horseshoe, two spear-heads.

Pottery.—Fragments of pottery were very numerous, probably indicating 100 vessels; but no entire dish is among them. The ornamentation is varied, and consists sometimes of parallel grooves, like that of the terramara pottery in North Italy (Fig. 37, No. 16). The paste used was also of a varied quality. Spindle-whorls of various sizes and forms, clay support-rings, and conical and quadrilateral clay weights; also large beads of burnt clay of an orange colour, ornamented with concentric circles of blue and white (Fig. 36, No. 17).

Glass, etc.—A few glass beads of variegated colours (No. 23), and one of amber.

Wood.—Wooden wedges, spoons, a fragment of basket-work, etc.

Organic Remains.—Hazel-nuts, burnt corn, and various other seeds. As to osseous remains, those of the domestic animals were twice as numerous as those of the wild species. It may be interesting to note that amongst the latter are included the reindeer (one portion of a horn), cat (one lower jaw of large size), beaver (four individuals), and two kinds of dog (Canis familiaris and matris opt.).

MONDSEE.

A couple of miles to the west of the southern end of the Attersee lies the Mondsee, followed farther up in the same valley by the small lake of Fuschl, both of which send their united surplus water into the former. Just opposite the outlet of the Mondsee, at a place called See, the site of a very interesting lake-dwelling was discovered, which since 1872 has been very carefully investigated by Dr. Much, of Vienna, with the result that this indefatigable explorer is now in possession of one of the most instructive collections of lake-dwelling remains in Europe. The See station covered an area of some 3,500 square yards. The piles were round, 3½ inches to 8 inches in diameter, and irregularly placed, and the relic-bed was deeply covered with mud. The antiquities, many of which are here illustrated (Figs. 38, 39, and 40), may be thus classified.

Stone.—Flint arrow-points, in great numbers, are of a triangular shape and very neatly made. One or two have still traces of asphalt, by means of which they were attached to the stem (Fig. 38, Nos. 10 to 12). Some of them are in an unfinished state, and one is of transparent rock-crystal. Among the flint saws are several half-moon-shaped implements similar to those so frequently met with in the Scandinavian archÆological area (Nos. 2 to 4). Some of this type were made with a projection for a handle like the knives used by modern leather-cutters. Lance-heads and scrapers are also numerous and well made. From the presence of a quantity of chips and flint refuse there can be no doubt that all these implements were manufactured in situ, a remark which equally applies to the knives (Krummesser) of Danish type, which were made of the same kind of flint, the raw material for which could be readily found in the gravel of the neighbouring streams. Among the ordinary stone implements are about two dozen perforated and highly finished axe-hammer heads (Nos. 13 to 15). The material is often a variegated serpentine. The polished celts amount to nearly 100 specimens, of which the largest is 6¾ inches long and the smallest 1¼ inch. One highly polished circular stone with central perforation might have formed the head of a club (Fig. 40, No. 9).

Horn and Bone.—Of this class of remains, there is a remarkable assortment of chisels (Fig. 38, Nos. 16, 27, and 28), pointers, etc., and particularly noteworthy are the double-pronged daggers (Fig. 39, Nos. 9 and 12). These are invariably well made and beautifully polished, and some have a groove as if for attaching a string. There is only one staghorn hafting for a celt, and it is bored in the middle for a handle, but the number of perforated hammers of this material is considerable. One triangular arrow-point is of bone (Fig. 38, No. 23).

Metal.—From the commencement of the investigation of this settlement it was inferred, from the finding of a number of coarse crucibles with projecting handles, that its inhabitants were acquainted with the art of smelting. Not only was there a little copper found in the pores of these utensils, but there were, among the wooden objects, some crooked clubs with a slit at the end (Fig. 185, No. 14), which could only be used as handles for flat celts such as those generally made of copper. Within the last few years these surmises have been confirmed by the discovery of several metal objects, chiefly of copper, among which are:—14 flat celts (some are in a fragmentary condition) (Fig. 39, Nos. 1, 2, and 5), six daggers (Nos. 3, 4, and 6), three spirals, three awls, one fish-hook (No. 14), and two small indefinite objects. Of bronze there are only two articles, viz. a portion of a dagger showing rivet-holes, and a portion of the stalk of a pin.[28]

Pottery.—The larger vessels are made of coarse clay mixed with sand, and are both clumsy and unornamented, with the exception sometimes of nail marks round the rim. Instead of handles they have perforated knobs below the rim or on the bulge of the vessel. In striking contrast to these coarse dishes are richly ornamented jugs made of a fine paste, and other small dishes with or without handles. The ornamentation is peculiar, consisting of deep broad lines, arranged in a variety of patterns, in which a white chalky substance was inserted, and to retain it better the bottom of the incised lines was sometimes corrugated (Fig. 40, No. 6). The colour of this pottery is now greyish, but originally it is supposed to have been black, so that the white ornamentation on a black ground must have had a striking effect. A few objects of clay, in the form of rude figurines, which might be conceived to represent some common quadruped, as a dog, or a pig, or a cow, may also be noted (Fig. 39, No. 15).

Other Objects.—It is somewhat remarkable that in the whole of this large collection there are only three small perforated objects of stone which could be taken for spindle-whorls, and only one clay weight; nor is there anything else that would indicate the art of weaving, with the exception of a few knotted strings and a closely plaited mat made of bast.

The personal ornaments are very various. Perforated teeth, imitations of the claws of birds in white marble (Fig. 38, No. 22), and circular plates of marble in the form of buttons, beads, etc. (Fig. 39, Nos. 13 and 16). In one place not less than 48 of the latter were brought up at one haul of the dredger, which, when restored in order, reproduce a bracelet (No. 16).

In 1874 Dr. Much discovered a second station at Scharfling on the south shore of the Mondsee, but being in deep water, and subject to the deposition of much dÉbris brought down by the Kienbach, the difficulties of a thorough investigation have not yet been overcome.

Of the investigations conducted from time to time in the Mondsee, and the antiquities collected, Dr. Much has given several accurate reports. (B. 223, 257, and 287.)

ATTERSEE (UPPER AUSTRIA).

The first notices of investigations of the lake-dwellings in the Attersee were published in 1871 by Count Wurmbrand and Mr. Simony, and these were continued by the former during the following five years, according as fresh discoveries were made. (B. 200, 201a, 202, 229, and 276.) There were five settlements in the lake—one, Seewalchen, near the outlet; two, Attersee and Aufham, on the west shore; and two, Weyeregg and Puschacher, on the east shore.

Seewalchen.—This settlement formed an irregular quadrangle, some 500 by 180 feet, and distant from the nearest shore between 200 and 300 feet. The water here is about 5 feet deep, and though clear, no relics or piles are visible, as the dÉbris are covered over with a bed of gravel, which had to be removed by dredging. The piles were round timbers 6 to 8 inches in diameter, and 3 to 4 feet apart, which penetrated so deeply into the shell-marl that it was with difficulty any of them could be pulled up. The relic-bed was a blackish conglomerate of organic dÉbris, about a foot thick, and greatly compressed by the superincumbent gravel. Count Wurmbrand does not think this settlement had been destroyed by fire, as the usual symptoms of such a catastrophe are entirely wanting. The antiquities, though numbering among them a few metal objects, are essentially of the Stone Age, among which the following are the most typical.

Stone.—The arrow-points of flint are all triangularly shaped, no example with a central stem having been discovered. One remarkable object is a small knife-flake of obsidian. Stone celts (a few perforated and mostly broken) were made of diorite, greenstone, granite, hornblende, etc., but none of nephrite. Grinding and polishing stones were abundant.

Horn and Bone.—Of these materials there were pointers (some with double prongs), chisels, scrapers, but none of the haftings for celts, such as those so frequently met with on the sites of the Swiss lake-dwellings; some bone rings, probably intended for beads, and others of cannel-coal.

Pottery.—Pottery was not abundant, but judging from its character, Count Wurmbrand thought that it was smeared over with graphite or some colouring matter, and burnt in an open fire. The ornamentation was made with the finger-nail, or with small pointed implements, in the soft clay. Some fragments showed handles and others perforated knobs.

Metal.—Two small bronze pins, one with conical head, and perforated in the stem a little below the head. It is quadrilateral in its lower two-thirds, and ornamented with dots. The other objects are an awl, sharpened at both ends, a lump of bronze, and two small fragments of iron.

The animal remains belonged to the pig, bear, beaver, ox, and stag.

Among the woods used were fir, lime, beech, oak, hazel, birch, and cornel-cherry.

Weyeregg.—The station next in importance is Weyeregg, about a third of the way up the lake. It has yielded well-made bone implements, worked tines of horns, perforated boars' teeth, and some finely polished stone hatchets. One is of a sea-green colour like jade, and another has an elegant form (Fig. 39, No. 22). Latterly a few metal objects have been found on this station, among which are the two daggers here represented (Nos. 17 and 18). On the remaining stations only a few objects of stone and pottery have been collected, sufficient, however, to show that they were similar to those already described. On Puschacher there were found two half-moon-shaped flint knives (Krummesser) (Nos. 20 and 21), and a round stone ball of polished serpentine neatly perforated, supposed to have been a mace.

FUSCHLSEE.

On the south shore of Lake Fuschl there is a small island of circular form, and about 50 paces in diameter, which, it seems, is of artificial construction, and strikingly analogous to our Scottish and Irish crannogs. The island, which is a little raised above the level of the water, lies close to the shore, being only separated from it by a narrow ditch or canal, which in the course of time has got filled up with moss and the dÉbris of marsh plants. On digging a hole in its interior there was encountered first a thick layer of moss and heather, and then a mass of decayed wood, chiefly branches of pine and dwarf birch. This mass was kept together by small piles, but around the margin there were stronger piles and a quantity of other beams to be seen. Few antiquities were, however, found on it, and its investigation from this point of view did not seem very encouraging. (B. 257.)

NEUSIEDLERSEE.

Over the vast territory drained by the Danube there are some further lacustrine remains indicative of lake or pile dwellings, but which are probably only a small fraction of what could be revealed with careful and systematic research. In 1872 Jeitteles published a notice of pile structures discovered in the town of OlmÜtz (B. 221); and more recently at Nimlau, in the same neighbourhood, similar wooden structures were detected in a pond. In this case there were five rows of oak piles associated with cross-beams; each row was five feet apart, and the whole was covered with mud to the extent of nearly two feet.[29]

In 1874 Count BÉla SzÉchenyi (B. 283) made some important discoveries at the south end of the bed of the Neusiedlersee, which can hardly be explained on any other hypothesis than that they were the industrial dÉbris of a lake-dwelling. This is a large lake of brackish water measuring about 72 miles in circumference, but so shallow that in its deepest part it attains only a depth of 10 or 12 feet. It terminates at its south-east side in a swamp called HansÁg, ("floating turf"), of greater extent than the lake itself. It appears to be subject to great fluctuations in its extent, so much so that in 1854 its area commenced to decrease till in a few years later its bed became completely dried up. Cultivation of the land occupied by it was then begun, but the water has since returned. It was in 1874, on land reclaimed from this lake in these circumstances, that Count SzÉchenyi found, scattered over the surface, bits of pottery, stone celts, flint implements, etc. On making systematic investigations of these finds, along with some of his scientific friends, he found that in two spots these relics were met with in greater profusion, and that, corresponding with these productive areas, there was a substratum of blackish mould which became more clearly defined by the rankness of its vegetation. These were supposed to have been the sites of habitation, and accordingly excavations were undertaken to clear up the matter, but they revealed nothing new. Only the same classes of relics were found as on the surface, with the exception of a few bones very much decayed. No piles were observed, and after digging to the depth of about three feet water came into the trenches and so stopped further progress in this direction. About 100 square yards were explored, during which the following relics were collected:—31 perforated stone axes or hammers, of which only two were whole; 96 plain stone axes, of which about two-thirds were well formed, the rest being more or less fragmentary; six stone chisels, and 14 worked stones or polishers, corn-grinders, etc.; a net-sinker and two small beads, together with a few scrapers and flint-flakes; and pottery to the amount of 200 to 300 fragments, among which only three vases were still entire. Illustrations of some of these relics are given on Fig. 41, Nos. 1 to 9.

The osseous remains were much decayed, but among them the following animals were identified, viz. stag, urus, ox, pig, and horse (represented only by two teeth).

Flints were comparatively rare, but the stone implements were varied both in form and material, being made of such materials as serpentine, diorite, basalt and schist.

The pottery, though rude, appeared to have been partly made on the wheel, but yet had finger-nail marks and other curved impressions as ornamentation. All sorts of handles were used, from mere perforations for strings to the most perfectly made handle. The paste was mixed with coarse materials.

The non-appearance of piles and organic matter may probably be accounted for by their rapid decomposition from alternate exposure to air and water.

Further notices of these finds were given by Count Wurmbrand (B. 259), Dr. Much (B. 318), and Von Luschan (B. 365).

PILE STRUCTURES IN HUNGARY.

On the right bank of the Theiss, a few miles from the railway-station of Szolnok, and near the village of TÓszeg, there is an artificial mound called "KuczorgÓ or Lapos-halom," to which, since the meeting of the International Congress at Buda-Pesth, in 1876, much importance is attached on account of the opinion expressed by Pigorini that it is identical in structure with the terramara mounds of Northern Italy. The mound, though now considerably undermined by the river Theiss during the great floods of 1876, is still of considerable extent, measuring some 360 mÈtres in length, and 100 in breadth, and rising to a maximum height of 8 mÈtres over the surrounding plain. It is only in times of flood that the waters reach the mound, its usual bed being about 1½ mile distant. When the artificial nature of this mound became known by the section exposed by the floods, some extensive investigations were made to determine its archÆological character. The objects collected in these researches were exhibited at the Congress as a special find, and among them were the following (Catalogue, pp. 85-87):—

1. Perforated hammers of staghorn, various pointed implements of horn and bone, perforated teeth of pigs, and a leg-bone perforated in two places, probably a skate.

2. Polished stone celts and perforated hammers, four flint flakes, and one of obsidian, corn-crushers, and various other worked stones.

3. Fragment of a bronze pin, a bronze knife, and a small ingot of bronze.

4. Pottery, showing a variety of dishes, some with handles, etc.; various objects of burnt clay, as a whistle, buttons, a spoon, 18 pyramidal clay weights (perforated), etc.

5. A considerable amount of food refuse, as bones, scales of fish, shells, charred wheat, etc.

When the International Congress was held at Buda-Pesth, Pigorini, Virchow, and Miss Mestorf visited this mound, and made some further researches, which not only confirmed Pigorini in his suspicions about the structure of the mound, but also led his distinguished fellow investigators to accept the main portion of his theory. Upon their return home they[30] published separate accounts of this excursion to TÓszeg and the results obtained, from which I must here be content to notice that the following propositions are admitted facts:—

1. The existence of piles and wooden beams was satisfactorily proved, and Pigorini asserts that these corresponded with three different levels, precisely as they occur in the terramara mounds.

2. The materials containing the dÉbris of occupancy were distinctly stratified, forming parallel or undulating layers, amounting to a total thickness of 4 mÈtres.

3. The antiquities collected represented all ages, including stone celts, bronze and iron implements, and a skate made of the leg-bone of a horse.

Subsequently Dr. Romer gave an account of the excavations conducted at TÓszeg previous to the meeting of the International Congress, in an article entitled "Les Terramares en Hongrie," along with which he describes similar deposits at other places, as Nagy-RÉv, SzelevÉny, KemÉnytetÖ, and Ásott-halom. In regard to the latter station he remarks that rotten piles were observed in its lowest stratum before Pigorini called attention to their importance. Some of the objects from Ásott-halom were exhibited at the Congress (see Cat., p. 44), and included polished stone axes and hammers, flakes of obsidian, perforated hammers of staghorn, etc. The author concludes his article by stating that the terramara deposits are by no means confined to the valley of the Tisza, as they have already been observed in various other low-lying districts along the Danube, Garam, etc. (B. 316.)

RESEARCHES IN THE LAKES OF CARINTHIA AND CARNIOLA.

In 1864 Professor Ferdinand v. Hochstetter gave a report of researches conducted by him, at the request of the Royal Academy of Sciences of Vienna, in the lakes of Carinthia and Carniola in search of remains of lake-dwellings. (B. 98.) But the results were, in the main, of a negative character, as no traces whatever were found in the lakes of MillstÄtter, Afritzer, Brenn, and Weissen, in Carinthia; nor in those of Weldeser, Wocheiner, and Zirknitzer, in Carniola. In the latter lake it was confidently expected that lake-dwelling remains would be discovered, as the chronicler Valvasor (1689) relates that in this lake there was an old bridge, whose piles he himself had seen; but upon Von Hochstetter and Deschmann visiting the locality nothing whatever could be seen of this character.[31]

On the other hand, Von Hochstetter believed that he had succeeded in finding traces of these settlements in no less than five lakes in Carinthia, viz. WÖrther, Keutschacher, Rauschelen, Ossiacher, and LÄngsee. The Keutschachersee is, however, the only one which has yielded positive remains of a sufficiently varied character to render the evidence of Pfahlbauten more than problematical. This small lake, known also as the Plaschischersee, which lies to the south of the WÖrthersee, contains near its middle a shallow portion which can be readily distinguished from the shore by the rushes which grow over it. The area of the space thus marked out is not great, measuring only 20 fathoms long (Klafter) by 10 fathoms broad, and it is covered by water never less than 4 to 6 feet in depth. Here piles and large beams were seen embedded among stones and mud, but so firmly that they could not be drawn up. Notwithstanding the difficulty of examination, some relics of human occupancy were collected. These, which were subsequently augmented by a further investigation by Mr. Ullepitsch, of Klagenfurt, are deposited in the museum of that town; they consist of portions of half-burnt clay with the impression of wattling, and are supposed to be part of the walls of a cottage. There are also one or two fragments of black and grey pottery, one of which is ornamented (Fig. 41, No. 10); a sharpening or grinding stone; a bit of staghorn, together with charcoal; heaps of shells (Adonta); hazel-nuts, and portion of a wooden pile.

Dr. v. Hochstetter draws attention to the extraordinary number of submerged cairns which he discovered along the shores of the WÖrthersee and Ossiachersee. On the eastern shore of the latter he counted no less than 29. These cairns are about 6 feet high, with a diameter of 15 to 20 feet, and their tops are generally covered with 4 to 6 feet of water. It will be remembered that similar cairns were observed in Lake Morat.

The only other place which suggested the existence of lake-dwellings was the "Laibacher Morast," in which, a few years previously, a couple of canoes, and some other industrial relics, were dug out of the peat, the full significance of which only now became apparent. Since then the vast morass has yielded a large quantity of the dÉbris of these settlements, which I shall now proceed to describe.

LAIBACH MOOR (CARNIOLA).

What is known as Laibach Moor is an extensive but irregularly shaped plain now nearly all well cultivated, which extends southwards from the town of Laibach to Ober-Laibach, some 12 miles distant. Previous to a series of drainage schemes, executed at various times during the last fifty years, the whole of this plain was a morass or peat bog, and there can be no doubt that in prehistoric times it was a navigable sheet of water. It covers an area of about 85 English square miles, and is interspersed here and there with six or seven rocky eminences, which, when the locality was under water, formed so many islands. It is also intersected by the rivers Laibach, Isca, and some smaller streams, which unite before reaching the town of Laibach, and about half way up it is crossed by the railway to Trieste. Some years ago a new road was constructed along the valley of the Isca, from Laibach to Brunndorf, and in 1875, in the course of excavating a ditch alongside of it, various bone implements and fragments of pottery were turned up by the workmen. Mr. Martin Peruzzi, the proprietor, recognising the archÆological value of these objects, at once gave information of the discovery to the authorities of the Landesmuseum at Laibach. This led to an extensive series of investigations, which were continued during the following two years under the care of Dr. Karl Deschmann, curator of this museum. An illustrated report of the first year's operations was published by the eminent archÆologist, Baron von Sacken (B. 290), while those of the two following years have found an able exponent in Dr. Deschmann. (B. 302 and 317.)

The first year's working revealed the foundations of a pile-dwelling close to the road on its west side, where, by the removal of some 3,000 square yards of peat, quite a forest of piles was disclosed. These were irregularly placed, but on an average they numbered three or four in a dozen square feet. They were made of aspen, poplar, elm, and fir, the last, however, being sparingly used. The peat was about 6 feet thick, and below it was the ancient sediment of the lake into which the piles were driven, their heads now merely entering into the peaty stratum. Between the peat and lake sediment there was a thin layer of organic dÉbris, 4 or 5 inches thick, in which alone the relics of the lake-dwellers were found. In the following year some 2,000 square yards were cleared of peat, partly in the same place, and partly on the other side of the road. In this new locality the piles were more closely set and the deposit of peat was a little thicker, but the character of the relics was exactly the same, only a larger proportion of the fragments of pottery were ornamented.

During the autumn of 1877 the site of a third pile-dwelling was come upon, about 300 yards from the last mentioned, and on the other side of the Isca (see Sketch, p. 171), under precisely similar conditions as the two former, but owing to want of funds the excavations were discontinued before the entire area was searched. Dr. Deschmann is of opinion that these are by no means the only portions of the moor in which lake-dwellings existed, as indications of them were found in several other places along the bed of the Isca. In further support of this opinion I may mention that in 1857, before lake-dwellings had attracted attention in this quarter, some objects were found at Moosthal, in quite a different part of the moor, which point to its being the site of a lake-dwelling. Here the peat was 10 feet deep, and at this depth, and lying immediately over the lake-silt, were found three perforated staghorn hammers, two canoes, and some other objects of human industry, which, however, were dispersed before Dr. Deschmann became aware of the discovery.

The relics of human industry collected during these systematic explorations, with the exception of a few in the Museum of Vienna, are deposited in the handsome new Museum at Laibach, where they form a remarkably complete and interesting demonstration of the culture and civilisation of the lake-dwellers. Some of these are illustrated on Figs. 42, 43, and 44.

Pottery.—Vessels for household use are extremely abundant, and varied in form and ornamentation. They are all hand-made, and the quality of the paste appears to have been good—that for the larger dishes was mixed with rough sand. All the pottery has a darkish appearance, but most of the smaller vessels had been smeared over with some black composition. Not a few of these dishes were quite whole, so that their varied forms and uses may be readily distinguished. They may be classified as jars, vases, cups, plates, jugs, bowls, flasks, spoons, etc.; and ordinary handles, perforated knobs, tubular borings (ansa canalicularis) appear to have been indiscriminately used.

Some of the smaller dishes have four or five stud-like processes or rudimentary feet, and others have a pedestal-like base, slightly expanding at the lowest point, on the underside of which there is often impressed the shape of a broad cross (Fig. 42, No. 20). The ornamentation, when reduced into its simple elements, may be thus stated:—

(1) Straight or wavy ridges, sometimes notched across, and running upwards or across the body of the vessel; (2) finger or nail marks; (3) checks made with groups of incised lines crossing each other; (4) lozenge-shaped spaces alternately plain and lined; (5) herring-bone pattern; (6) triangles, crosses, wheels, rhombs, and other simple geometrical figures, sometimes with inscribed figures or lines; (7) impressions of strings, points, etc. The style of the more highly ornamented vessels is, though complicated, artistic, and when the incised lines were filled with a white material, as is supposed to have been the case with some of them, these patterns on a dark or black ground must have been very effective. Ornamentation is not always confined to the outside of the vessel, as may be seen from Fig. 43, No. 8. Dr. Deschmann sees a striking resemblance between the Laibach pottery, both in manufacture and ornamentation, to that represented in Dr. Schliemann's works on Troy.

Besides the ordinary dishes, there fall to be enumerated under this heading some two or three hundred spindle-whorls, one or two cylindrical weights, perforated cones (Fig. 43, No. 5), a few crucibles of superior workmanship (Fig. 45, No. 14), a mould for an axe-head (Fig. 42, No. 22), and some other small objects, apparently toys (Fig. 42, No. 21). Among the most remarkable and mysterious objects are some ornamented images, more or less fragmentary, of animals and human beings with fantastically-formed heads (Fig. 42, Nos. 11, 23, and 24; and Fig. 195, Nos. 5 to 8).

Stone.—The stone implements, with the exception of rubbers, hammers, and sharpening-stones, are comparatively rare. The sharpening-stones are well represented by a variety of implements—from the small portable hone with a string perforation, to a large hollow block weighing 220 pounds. Of simple stone axes and chisels there are only about a dozen good examples, but amongst them are two little gems—one a hatchet of nephrite (Fig. 42, No. 12), and the other a miniature chisel of greenstone (No. 9). Perforated axe-hammers number about two dozen (Fig. 43, No. 10); they are mostly of serpentine and well shaped, and the boring is neatly executed. The flint objects, which amount to about four dozen, consist chiefly of neatly-formed lance-heads; but amongst them are a few scrapers and flakes, but hardly one that could be called an arrow-point (Fig. 42, Nos. 1 to 5). Almost unique are two conical anvils, one of which (No. 18) has metallic particles of copper or bronze on its flat surface. There is also a polished stone disc showing the commencement of a perforation near its centre with the core still remaining.

Bone and Horn.—A characteristic feature of the Laibach settlements is the abundance of implements of bone and horn which they have yielded, and which may be thus classified:—

1. Perforated hammer-axes of staghorn, numbering between 300 and 400, in all stages of manufacture. The most typical forms of these implements are sketched on Fig. 44.

2. Polished daggers, pointers, chisels, etc., varying in length from 4 to 10 inches, amount to many hundreds. The smaller pointers, awls, and pins, were made of bone splinters and ground to fine points. The finer daggers were invariably made of the leg-bones of a deer or other animal. It appears that they were manufactured by sawing or cutting the bone lengthways and slightly diagonally, so as to have two weapons out of the one bone, leaving each with a joint for its hilt. One or two bones were found showing this operation in an uncompleted stage. Some of these daggers had perforations near the extremity of the handle-end for suspension.

3. The tynes of deer-horns were converted into coarse needles (Fig. 42, No. 13), and used probably in the manufacture of nets. Over a score of these implements have been collected.

4. A few finely-polished objects like hooks are supposed to have been used as dress-fasteners or buckles (Nos. 6 and 16).

5. Another set of curious objects (No. 7), of which about a score have been collected, is supposed by Dr. Deschmann to have been used as artificial bait to catch large fish, just as we at the present day use an imitation minnow. They are made of the tynes of deer-horns, and vary in length from 2 to 5 inches.

6. About a dozen or so of very sharp and finely-polished needles made from the superficial lamina of a rib. The eye, which is at one end, is either round or elongated (No. 15.)

7. Several hollow bones (some of the wild swan), open at both ends, and varying in length from 5 to 10 inches, have marks inside, as if made by the friction of running threads. They are supposed to have been used in the preparation of thread, and hence go under the name of "Zwirndreher."

8. Some flat portions of the horns of the elk and the underjaws of oxen, minus their teeth, were used as polishers.

Metal Objects.—(Fig. 45.) The total number of metal objects now in the Museum at Laibach, and tabulated as coming from the lake-dwellings, is 24. They are all either of bronze or copper, as hitherto not a trace of iron has anywhere been met with. The following is a list of them:—

1. Two flat-handled bronze swords 21 and 14½ inches long (Nos. 3 and 4).

2. Three bronze daggers, 11½, 8, and 7½, inches long (Nos. 2, 1, and 7). The larger has four rivets for fastening a handle; the next has six rivets, and the blade is beautifully ornamented; and the third has two rivet-holes, arranged differently from those in the other two.

3. A winged bronze celt (No. 5); and one of the flat type (No. 9), said to be of copper.

4. Portions of three bronze pins (Nos. 12 and 13).

5. Two thin bracelets of bronze, much worn.

6. Five peculiar objects of copper, like awls (Nos. 6 and 8).

7. Seven objects like daggers, lance-heads, or knives, rudely hammered, are also supposed to be of pure copper (Nos. 10 and 11).

The winged celt and the larger of the two swords are not noticed in either of the reports of the various investigations, but I am assured they form part of the same find; and, in corroboration of this, I find they are included in a photograph issued by the authorities of the Museum, purporting to be a representation of all the metal objects from the Pfahlbauten.

Objects of Wood.—A canoe 15½ feet long and 2½ feet wide was pointed at both ends. Also a toy canoe. Fragments of a few dishes, such as a large plate, a spoon of yew wood, and some bowls—one of which is scooped out of a large round natural protuberance of a tree. A few elongated pebbles rolled in birch bark. Portions of bast ropes, and some coils of very fine carbonised linen threads.

Two remarkable machines ("BiberfÄlle") (Fig. 46), each constructed out of one solid piece of wood, and having two movable valves in the centre worked by projecting pivots resting loosely in corresponding holes in the machine. These valves are freely movable when pushed upwards, but this motion is arrested just a little short of the perpendicular by the slanting shape of their posterior edges, so that, when left to themselves, they always fall together, and never backwards. The one here represented is in a very perfect state of preservation; and the other, though now in a fragmentary condition, clearly shows that in its structure it was precisely similar to the former. These peculiar implements, though found at a little distance, are considered of contemporary date with the lake-dwelling remains, as they were in the same archÆological stratum, and about the same depth in the peat. The one here figured is made of oak, and measures 32 inches long, 12 inches broad, and 4 inches deep. The aperture, when the valves are open, measures 9 by 5 inches. The most recent opinion as to the use of these machines is that they were beaver traps—an opinion that derives much probability from the extraordinary number of the skeletons of this animal which have been found among the food-refuse of the inhabitants of this lake-dwelling.

Such machines are not absolutely new to archÆology, and the little that is known about them rather strengthens the opinion above given as to their use. The first discovered to which attention was directed in archÆological journals was figured and described in 1873[32] by Dr. Hildebrandt, of Tribsees, Neu-Vorpommern. It measures 29½ inches long, and 6 inches broad at the ends, and has two movable valves in the centre. It was found in a peat bog at a depth of 5 to 6 feet below the surface, and is now preserved in the Museum at Greifswald. Dr. Hildebrandt conjectured that it was some kind of trap for catching fish.

In reply to Dr. Hildebrandt's notice of the machine found at Tribsees, Professor F. Merkel, of Rostock, wrote to say[33] that two similar ones were found in different parts of North Germany, which he considered to be otter traps rather than fish traps. One of them was found in the moor of Samow, near Gnoien, at a depth of 6 or 7 feet, and is now in the Museum at Rostock.

It is remarkably like the one from Laibach, and differs only in being 4 inches longer, and having three holes in the valves instead of two (Fig. 47). A third[34] was found in a moor at Friedrichsbruch, near Flatow, in the province of West Preussen, which was sent to the MÄrkisches Museum. At no time within historical times were such machines known to be in use, so that their function still remains conjectural, unless the circumstantial evidence derived from the Pfahlbau at Laibach decides them to be "BiberfÄlle."

While the proofs of the above remarks were still in my hands, I received from Dr. Luigi Meschinelli, of the Geological Museum of the Royal University of Naples, a copy of an article by him, entitled "Studio Sugli Avanzi Preistorici della Valle di Fontega."[35] The objects described in this memoir were found, in the course of excavating peat, in a small valley which opens into Lake Fimon in the vicinity of Vicenza. Among numerous industrial remains of man, consisting of fragments of pottery, various implements of stone and flint, a bronze celt, and a Roman coin of the time of the Emperor Adrian, were three curious and novel objects of wood shaped like small canoes. One of these machines—the best preserved, though not the largest—is carefully described and figured by Dr. Meschinelli, and from his minute description there can be no doubt it is another example of the same apparatus which I have just described as having been found in North Germany and Laibach Moor.

The body of the Italian machine was constructed out of one piece of oak, and measured 28 inches long, 6¾ inches broad, and 2¾ inches thick (Fig. 47a). The opening in the centre, which was closed by two valves revolving on projecting pivots, and resting along their axis in a deep groove cut on each side of the machine, measured 6½ inches by 3½ inches on the under side, so that this would be the actual size of the aperture when the valves were open. Associated with the machine, as will be seen from the illustration, were several worked portions of sticks, evidently the dÉbris of some kind of mechanism attached to it. Similar sticks were found along with the Laibach examples. It will be observed that the dimensions of the Italian one are a little less than those of the previously described machines, but that in all other respects they are identical. The other two found at Fontega were, according to Dr. Meschinelli, precisely similar to the one he describes.

Among the organic remains from these peat excavations I find no mention made of the osseous remains of the beaver, neither is this animal included by Lioy among the fauna of the lake-dwellings at Fimon. So far, therefore, there is no presumptive evidence that the machines described by Dr. Meschinelli were beaver-traps. That, however, the beaver frequented the Po valley during prehistoric times we have positive evidence in the discovery of its bones in several localities—as, for example, the terremare of Castellaccio (B. 457) and Cogozzo (B. 389a).

Puzzled to account for these curious machines which so fortunately attracted the attention of Dr. Meschinelli, he concludes his notice of them thus:—

"A che cosa poteva servire questo oggetto? Era forse un modello per costruire poi una piroga di dimensioni maggiori per utilitÀ pratica? Portata a queste dimensioni, serviva essa al trasporto, o meglio quei congegni erano stati inventati a facilitare la pesca? Volle invece l'artefice sbizzarrire il suo genio inventivo nel costruire un trastullo cosi grazioso? E perchÈ allora costruirne due di eguali?"

It may be interesting to add that in 1859 a wooden machine, which evidently comes under the same category as the above, was found in a bog in the townland of Coolnaman, parish of Aghadowey, county Derry, Ireland. It is figured in The Ulster Journal of ArchÆology (vol. vii. p. 165), as an "antique wooden implement," which is thus described by the editor:—

"It was discovered embedded in a solid bank of turf, at a depth of 4 feet from the surface, the bog extending to a great depth underneath. No other article was found near it. It is entirely of wood, and measures as follows:—Extreme length, 3 feet 5 inches; breadth across the centre, 7½ inches; depth, 2½ inches; lid, 14 inches long and 3½ inches broad; under hole, 12¾ inches long and 3½ inches broad. The upper edges have evidently been higher on all sides, when perfect—probably on a level with the lid or small door—or even extending still higher, so as to form a kind of trough. The lid is now somewhat narrower than the opening which it is intended to close, but, no doubt, was made to fit accurately when in use. It moves up and down on a hinge formed by two projections which lie in corresponding hollows, and seems to have been opened and shut by means of a handle inserted into a hole in its centre. These hinges have, no doubt, been kept in their place by some part of the wood above them which is now lost. From each end of the lid and on a level with its upper surface there runs a hollow groove, sloping regularly downwards to the end of the implement, and terminating in a hole which perforates the bottom, seemingly for the discharge of a liquid. Towards each end are two lateral holes placed opposite to each other, one in each lip of the groove, apparently to receive a rope passed through them to serve as a handle for removing the article from place to place. The under side of the implement is flat, having in its centre an oblong hole (the bottom opening of the cavity covered by the lid), which has all its four edges sloped or bevelled.... Coolnaman, which gives name to the townland, is a considerable hill, entirely cultivated, but surrounded at its base by a bog of unknown depth, which evidently occupies the site of an ancient lake. On the side of the hill where the implement was discovered the turf has become quite solidified, and forms a dense black mass up to the surface."

In looking at Fig. 47b, which shows the upper and under sides of this implement, it will be at once seen that it differs from the Continental examples only by having one valve or lid closing the central aperture instead of two. Neither the editor nor any of the parties who had examined this curious machine at the time had ever seen anything of the kind before, and no rational explanation of its use has ever since been offered. One thought it was a fishtrap intended to be placed in a river; another, that it was a kind of pump; a third, that it was a machine for making peats; and a fourth, that it was a cheese-press (Ibid., p. 289).

To find so many of these machines, of unknown use and so remarkably similar in structure, in such widely separate districts as Ireland, North Germany, Styria, and Italy, must be a matter of interest to archÆologists, and no one can say that the correct explanation of their use is to be found in any of the suggestions hitherto offered on this point. I may mention one element which may help in the solution of this problem, viz. that all the examples from Italy, Laibach, and Ireland were found in bogs that were formerly lakes. Perhaps this is true in regard to those from North Germany, but the point is not referred to in the short notices which have appeared of them. If these machines are really traps they could only be used in water where the animal could insert its head from below, and among amphibious animals the otter and beaver are the only ones to which all the conditions involved in the trap theory could apply.[36]

Organic Remains.—In the report of the investigations for the year 1877 Dr. Deschmann gives the following analysis of the osseous remains collected, which shows the relative frequency of the respective animals:—

Some of these bones contained crystals of vivianite, resembling in this respect the osseous remains found on some of the Scottish crannogs, especially that at Lochlee. (B. 373, p. 88.)

The Bos primigenius is also represented by a portion of horn 21 inches long. The presence of hazel nuts with gnawed holes also points to the existence of some small rodents, probably the dormouse. One or two bones (metacarpal bone of a deer and an ulna of the bear) are covered all over with groups of peculiarly-striated markings, as if made with a file; but for what purpose, or whether the work of man or of some rodent animal, remains a mystery.

There is also a considerable quantity of the bones of birds, the spine bones of fish, jawbones of large pike, carp, etc., and a portion of the shell of a tortoise (Emis lutaria).

Of human remains there are two skulls of adults, minus the facial part, another of a child, a lower jaw, and a few bones of the extremities.

Notwithstanding a minute search, no traces of any kind of corn have hitherto come to light; but we must not therefore conclude that the lake-dwellers were ignorant of agriculture and the ordinary cereals, as grain is so apt to decompose unless it happens to be in a carbonised state. It is, however, probable that the cultivation of grain was not the chief industry of the colony, and that the mealing-stones which were in such abundance must have been used for grinding some other kind of food as well as grain, such as the kernels of hazel-nuts and water-chestnuts. The water-chestnut (Trapa natans), according to Deschmann, does not grow at the present time in Carniola; nor has it ever, since the earliest botanical examination of the country by Scopoli, been considered a native plant in the Flora Carniolica. In the last century the monks of the Cistercian order, at Sittich, cultivated it in their ponds. Pliny, however, distinctly states that in ancient times it was used as a food. "Thraces qui ad Strymona habitant foliis tribuli equos saginant, ipsi nucleo vivunt, panem facientes prÆdulcem, et qui contrabit ventrem." (H. Nat., xxii. 10-12.)

Among the vast quantity of osseous remains there is not a single fragment of the skeleton of the horse. On the other hand, it is calculated that the deer is represented by no less than 500 individuals, and the beaver by at least 140. For the latter this is a colossal figure, seeing that the richest station in beaver remains among the Swiss lake-dwellings, viz. Moosseedorfsee, numbers only eight individuals. The animal is now extinct in the country, nor has it ever been mentioned in any of the historical annals of Carniola.