Archaeologists have, for the first time, found traces of a Bronze Age lakeside village under the surface of Lake Lucerne. The find shows that the city of Lucerne area was already populated 3,000 years ago.
This content was published on
1 minute
Keystone-SDA/Canton of Lucerne/ilj
Español
es
Hallan vestigios de la Edad de Bronce bajo un lago suizo
This is 2,000 years earlier than previously thought, researchers said on Thursday.
Traces of a pile dwelling (or stilt house) village came to light while laying a pipeline in the natural harbour area. The remnants were found by underwater archaeologists around four metres below the water surface.
“This finally confirms the theory that, in earlier times, the Lucerne lake basin was a suitable settlement area,” a canton Lucerne statementExternal link said.
Proof of settlement
Archaeologists had been looking for proof of settlement for some time, but had been hampered by a thick layer of mud at the bottom of the lake. Work on the pipeline however revealed around 30 prehistoric wooden piles or stilts and five pieces of pottery.
The wood and pottery have been tested and dated to the late Bronze Ages, so around 1,000 years BC.
The find coincides with the 10th anniversary of prehistoric lakeside pile dwellings in Alpine countries – including in Switzerland – being given Unesco World Heritage Site status.
Unesco describes the groupExternal link of dwellings as “one of the most important sources for the study of early agrarian societies in the region”.
More
More
Life on stilts
This content was published on
Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Slovenia, Italy and France have successfully campaigned to have 111 of the most important lakeside pile dwellings in the Alps designated World Heritage sites. Of these, 56 are in Switzerland.
Switzerland to introduce flight passenger database
This content was published on
Switzerland plans to introduce a flight passenger database to collect and process personal data in a bid to combat terrorism and serious crime.
Government plans to invest over CHF16bn in Swiss rail network
This content was published on
The federal government intends to invest CHF16.4 billion ($18.1 billion) in railway infrastructure between 2025 and 2028, CHF2 billion more than for the current period.
Swiss to vote on pension reform and biodiversity in September
This content was published on
Swiss citizens will vote on occupational pension schemes and a biodiversity initiative on September 22, the Federal Council announced on Wednesday.
Ukraine peace talks: 50 countries have confirmed participation
This content was published on
To date, 50 countries out 160 invited delegations have confirmed they will attend the Ukraine peace conference, held in central Switzerland in mid-June, according to Swiss public radio, RTS.
Federer-backed On boosts forecast after sneaker demand rises
This content was published on
Swiss footwear company On Holding AG posted strong first-quarter revenue, boosted by demand for its running shoes and new line of training apparel.
Michael Schumacher’s watches fetch CHF4 million at Swiss auction
This content was published on
Watches belonging to Formula 1 great Michael Schumacher sold for around CHF4 million ($4.41 million) at auction house Christie's in Geneva on Tuesday.
Macron will attend Swiss summit on Ukraine, says Zelensky
This content was published on
French President Emmanuel Macron will attend the peace conference on Ukraine at the Swiss Bürgenstock resort next month, according to Volodymyr Zelensky.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Prehistoric find located beneath the waves
This content was published on
Since it was made of wood scientists used dendrochronology – the technique of dating by tree rings – to give a precise figure of 3863 BC. The find in Lake Biel, northwest of the Swiss capital, Bern, was described as “sensational” by Albert Hafner, who is in charge of underwater archaeology in the region. Divers…
This content was published on
Stretching across six European countries, they were added to the Unesco World Heritage List in June 2011. There are 111 sites in all, with 56 of them in Switzerland. The dwellings in France, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Italy and Slovenia, lie deep in lakes or buried in sand on lake shores. Yet for Unesco, they qualify…
Archaeological discovery confirms Lake Geneva tsunami research
This content was published on
Roman remains uncovered by Vaud archaeologists appear to confirm previous research about a giant tsunami on Lake Geneva in 563AD.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.