An annualized perspective – New dendrochronological findings on the settlement development of the lakeshore sites “Muntelier, Platzbünden” and “Sutz-Lattrigen, Neue Station” (CH) at the end of the 4th M BC.

Gottardi, Corina; Bolliger, Matthias; Hafner, Albert (16 March 2023). An annualized perspective – New dendrochronological findings on the settlement development of the lakeshore sites “Muntelier, Platzbünden” and “Sutz-Lattrigen, Neue Station” (CH) at the end of the 4th M BC. (Unpublished). In: KIEL CONFERENCE. Scales of Social, Environmental & Cultural Change in Past Societies. Kiel University. 13.-18.03.2023.

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In the lakes of the northern Alpine Foreland numerous lakeshore settlements of the Neolithic and the Bronze Age are preserved, which were listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 2011. Thanks to the exceptionally favorable preservation conditions and excellent dendrochronological reference curves, the settlements’ developments can ideally be reconstructed with yearly accuracy. Thus, these settlements offer a unique basis for investigating human-environment relationships in waterscapes with an extraordinary high temporal resolution. Using existing or newly compiled dendrochronological data, the settlement phases and development of the two lakeshore settlements of Muntelier, Platzbünden (Lake Murten) and Sutz-Lattrigen, Neue Station (Lake Biel) in Western Switzerland were researched as part of the MOVE project. In 1979, an excavation was carried out on an area of 1000 m2 at Lake Murten at Muntelier, Platzbünden. During this excavation, about 4500 piles were recovered, of which 3500 had already been examined in the 1980s for their tree species, shape and size. The 1800 oak piles were also dated, if possible, so that a time span from 3229 BC to 3110 BC could be postulated. Apart from a gap of felling dates between 3229 BC and 3209 BC, there are felling dates almost every year. From this it can be concluded that there was uninterrupted settlement activity in Muntelier, Platzbünden from the beginning to the end of the 32nd century BC. In total, six construction phases can be assumed during this period, whereby the oldest is clearly distinguishable from the subsequent ones, which are all similar in their village structure. In exactly the same years, there is also evidence of settlements on Lake Biel at the site of Sutz-Lattrigen, Neue Station, about 20 km to the north. Dendrochronological research on different tree species reveals comparable structures in terms of village architecture. However, the shorter occupation periods compared to Muntelier, Platzbünden highlight the high dynamics of the settlements at that time. Both settlements thus provide an excellent data base, which will complement our understanding of phases of settlement activities and settlement interruptions during the 4th millennium BC in the northern Alpine Foreland.

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