The Lake-Dwellings of Europe: Being the Rhind Lectures in Archæology for 1888Munro, Robert
History
The Lake-Dwellings of Europe: Being the Rhind Lectures in Archæology for 1888
Munro, Robert
Lake-dwellers and lake-dwellings -- Bibliography; Lake-dwellers and lake-dwellings -- Europe
On the other hand, the station is prominent for the beauty and
elegance of its flint implements, many of which were, when found,
still in their horn or wooden handles. Along with the horn haftings
may be mentioned perforated hammers, chisels, barbed harpoons, pins,
awls, flax-heckles, amulets, perforated teeth, and boars' tusks of
great size. Among wooden objects the most remarkable are a wooden
door, still retaining portion of a polished oval bolt of yew which
traversed it horizontally (B. 336, p. 48), and a portion of a ladder
(B. 347). The fragments of pottery indicated not only coarse material
but rude workmanship. The clay is badly burnt, and it is uniformly
mixed with pieces of quartz or small pebbles of the size of a pea.
The vessels are roughly cylindrical, and have thick bases, but no
ornamentation, not even the projecting knobs so characteristic of
Locras. Some large clay balls, perforated in the centre, are probably
loom-weights, and among the remains are bits of plaited and woven
flax, which prove that the art of weaving was well known to the
inhabitants. Dr. v. Fellenberg, from whose writings I have taken the
substance of this notice, considers the settlement one of the earliest
among the Swiss lake-dwellings and much inferior to some of the other
Stone Age settlements in Lake Bienne.
A cup made from the upper part of a human skull found here has
attracted much attention. (B. 119, 2nd ed., p. 221.)
TWANN (DOUANNE).--It must be remembered that the west side of the
lake does not present the same facilities for pile-dwellings as the
opposite shore, owing to the steepness of the immediate shore-land
and the rapidity with which deep water is met with. Moreover, the
narrow strip of beach available for the purpose has become greatly
covered up with alluvial deposits, as is proved from a discovery made
at Twann. Here, at a depth of 15 or 20 feet, some workmen, while
making excavations in connection with railway works near the quay,
came upon a blackish bed of mould containing piles, pottery, staghorn
implements, etc., which, on being inspected by Dr. Gross who happened
to be passing at the time, was at once recognised as the site of a
lacustrine station. Mr. Irlet, of Twann, has also discovered another
station at Wingreis, in the vicinity of which the canoe, now so well
preserved in the Museum at Neuveville, was found. (See page 481.) The
objects from Wingreis consist of stone hatchets, flints, and horn
handles. (B. 462, p. 32.)
In 1886 another station, called "Bipschal," was announced by Dr. v.
Fellenberg as having been discovered by Ed. Matthys between Ligerz and
Twann. (B. 462, p. 35.)
VINGELZ.--Dr. v. Fellenberg states (B. 462, p. 32) that in 1874, when
the great canoe which for many years was known to be lying in the mud
near Vingelz was raised, a deeply-buried relic-bed was brought to
light.
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