PREFACE.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

(1) In collecting the materials on the Continent my work was greatly facilitated by introductory notes from and to eminent archæologists, and among those who so honoured me I have especially to mention Evans, Franks, Voss, Tischler, the late Karl Deschmann, Major Tröltsch, Pigorini, and Castelfranco.

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

   MUSEUMS.

 Aix-les-Bains: Musée de la Ville.
 Annecy: Musée de la Ville.
 Avenches: Museum of Roman Antiquities.
 Bâle: The Museum.
 Belfast: Antiquarian Museum.
 Berlin: Märkisches Museum.
 Königl. Museum für Völkerkunde.
 Berne: Cantonal Museum. Gross Coll. Federal Hall.
 Bienne: Schwab Museum.
 Boudry: Museum.
 Chambéry: Musée de la Ville.
 Como: Museo di Como.
 Constance: Rosgarten Museum.
 Dublin: Museum of the Royal Irish Academy.
 Edinburgh: National Museum of Antiquities.
 Frauenfeld: Sammlung der Hist. Gesellschaft im Thurgau.
 Fribourg: Musée Cantonal.
 Friedrichshafen: Museum des Vereins für die Geschichte des Bodensees.
 Geneva: Musée Archéologique.
 Isola Virginia: Museo Ponti.
 Klagenfurt: Das Historiche Museum des Rudolfinums.
 Königsberg: Das Prussia Museum.
 Laibach: Landesmuseum.
 Lausanne: Musée Cantonal.
 Leeuwarden: Museum van het Friesch Genootschap.
 London: British Museum.
 Lucerne: Historical and Art-Industrial Museum in the Rathhaus.
 Mayence: Sammlung des Stadt und Alterthumsvereins.
 Milan: Museo Civico.
 Modena: Museo Civico.
 Morat: A small Collection in the Gymnasium.
 Munich: K. Ethnographisches Museum.
 Neuchâtel: Musée Archéologique.
 Parma: R. Museo d'Antichità di Parma.
 Posen: Archæological Museum.
 Reggio: Museo Civico di Reggio d'Emilia.
 Rome: Museo Preistorico.
 Schwerin: Grossherzogl. Alterthümer Sammlung.
 Sigmaringen: Fürstl. Hohenzollern'sches Museum.
 St. Germain (Paris): Musée National.
 Stuttgart: K. Kunst-und Alterthums-Sammlung,
  and K. Naturalien-Sammlung.
 Turin: Museo Civico.
 Ueberlingen: Steinhaus Museum.
 Varese: Museo di Varese.
 Verona: Museo Civico.
 Viadana: Museo Civico.
 Vienna: K. K. Naturhist-Hof-Museum
  (formerly K. K. Munzund Antikenkabinet).
 Yverdon: Musée de la Ville.
 Zürich: Sammlung der antiquarischen Gesellschaft.

   PRIVATE COLLECTIONS.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 Edinburgh, 15th May, 1890.

CONTENTS.

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.