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
LES UTTINS (YVERDON).--At the foot of Mount Chamblon, rather more
than a mile from the lake, there are some peat deposits, which the
peasants have been in the habit of utilising as fuel. Here in two
spots, according to Mr. Rochat,[11] the peat-cutters are reported to
have met with piles and transverse beams with mortices. The tops of
the piles were 6 to 10 feet below the surface. A flint arrow-head,
two stone celts of serpentine, and a bronze bracelet, were found in
one of these bogs; and hence Messrs. Troyon and Rochat (B. 31, p. 70)
consider that there was a palafitte here--a supposition which involves
the theory that the lake formerly extended to the locality. Nor is
this theory without some evidence in support of it, as the amount of
_débris_ brought down by the Thielle is very great. On the supposition
that the Roman city of Eburodunum, the ruins of which are now 2,500
feet from the present shore, was built on the lake in the fourth
century, Mr. Troyon calculates that the water of the lake would have
been as far back as the site of the palafitte about fifteen centuries
before the Christian era.
CLENDY, CHESEAUX, AND CHABLE À PERRON.--Along this part of the shore
there were three or four settlements with steinbergs, but the piles
are now destroyed, and the few antiquities collected belong apparently
to the Stone Age. Chable à Perron covers an area of some 3,500 square
yards, but the only antiquities found were serpentine hatchets and
their horn fixings, some flints, pointed bones, and fragments of
coarse pottery. (R. 336.)
Some interesting notes of the early researches and discoveries made
on the various stations in the vicinity of Yverdon are given by Mr.
Rochat in Kellers third report on the Pfahlbauten. (B. 34.)
FONT.--On this station a cup-marked stone was found, and Troyon
records several objects--a curious bronze needle, Roman tiles, and
Imperial Roman money--as coming from the same place. Professor
Grangier, of Fribourg,[12] found here some Roman medals, together
with an iron arrow-head, iron keys, and subsequently an oar.[13] He
states that the whole coast, from Font to Estavayer, was occupied
with piles, and that he attempted to make a plan of the stations,
but gave it up, because the configuration was constantly changing.
The original conditions were also entirely altered by the number
of piles extracted by the fishermen. He knew one family who for two
generations had never used any other firewood but piles extracted from
the lake-dwelling stations. One place, about half-way between Font
and Estavayer, was well known for its antiquities, and went among the
fishermen under the name of "La Pianta." (B. 178, p. 169.) In the
Fribourg Museum there is a considerable number of bronze objects from
Pianta, some of which are here figured (=Fig. 12=, Nos. 1 to 10, and
24). I have also noted three stone moulds (two of wheel pendants), and
an ingot of bronze. Some pins and a knife are in the Bern Museum.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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