La Tène (archaeological site)
Ongoing
La Tène (archaelogical site)
The site of La Tène is a major protohistorical site located on the north shore of Lake Neuchâtel on the territory of the municipality of the same name in Switzerland. The site, dating from the second part of the Iron Age has given its name to that period, the La Tène culture (from about 450 BCE to the Roman conquest in the 1st century BCE). The territorial extent of that culture goes from Ireland to Anatolia and from Portugal to Czechia. The site is listed as a property of national significance.
 | |
  Shown within Switzerland | |
| Location | Canton de Neuchâtel, Switzerland |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 47°00′25″N 7°01′25″E / 47.006944°N 7.023611°E |
| History | |
| Founded | Iron Age |
Location
The site is located in the lieu-dit « La Tène », which is related to the latin tenuis evoking the shallow waters of the lake northernmost extremity. It is also the point where the Thielle river leaves the lake and flows in the direction of lake Biel. Being constantly in the vicinity of the lake, the artifacts were marked by the changes in the lake's altitude.
Research History
Discovery
The La Tène site was discovered in 1857 during a period dubbed the "lake dwelling fever" (in french: "fièvre lacustre"). Lake dwellings were found on the banks of many swiss lakes, most of the time with the collaboration of scientists and fishermen. In november 1957, fisherman Hans Kopp was sailing to a Neolithic dwelling near Concise from Lake Biel under orders from Colonel Friedrich Schwaab when he spotted an interesting spot near La Tène. He stopped and started investigating. He found around 40 objects in iron, including 8 spearheads and 12 swords[1].
Références
- ^ Kaeser, Marc-Antoine (2019). La Tène, ou la construction d’un site éponyme (in French). Drémil-Lafage : Editions Mergoil. ISBN 9782355180927.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)