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.)
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.)
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.
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.)
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.
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.).
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.)
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.
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.)
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).
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.)
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.
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.