Schnidejoch

Schnidejoch
Compass direction	north	south
Pass height	2756  m above sea level M.
Canton	Bern	Valais
Watershed	Saane	Rhone
Valley locations	Gstaad	Ayent
expansion	Mule track
Mountains	Bernese Alps
Map (Bern)
Coordinates	596 107  /  135342 coordinates: 46 ° 22 '10 "  N , 7 ° 23' 17"  O ; CH1903:  596 107  /  135342

Ascent from the Wildhornhütte to the Wildhorn (March 2007)

Disc-headed needles: In the middle the needle from the Schnidejoch, left from Saillon ( VS ) and right from Bex (VS).

The area around the Aletsch Glacier on the Siegfried Atlas (1882)

The Schnidejoch is a mule track and mountain pass used since the Neolithic Age in the Wildhorn massif in the western Bernese Alps at an altitude of 2756  m above sea level. M. on the way between the Valais Lac de Tseuzier and the Bernese Oberland villages of Lauenen / Gstaad .

In the high mountains of Europe , the Schnidejoch is one of the most important archaeological sites: Since the hot summer of 2003 , numerous individual finds have been unearthed under a melting ice field, the oldest of which are more than 6,500 years old and come from Neolithic hunters and collectors .

The latest archaeological findings were announced on August 21, 2008 at an international meeting of archaeologists and climatologists in Bern: The experts from the University of Bern announced that 46 Neolithic finds from the ETH Zurich had been dated around 1500 years older using radiocarbon dating than previously assumed. The leather and raffia clothing, the quiver and the arrows are the oldest finds of this type in the Alps, and thus around 1000 years older than Ötzi .

location

The pass crossing is located between the Schnidehorn and the Wildhorn , in the border area of ​​the Swiss cantons of Bern and Valais , around 8 kilometers as the crow flies from Lauenen (north) and around 15 kilometers as the crow flies from Sion (south). The Wildhornhütte ( 2303  m above sea level ), one kilometer to the north, is a stage point for various mountain tours.

history

The Schnidejoch has demonstrably served as a pass crossing since the Neolithic Age . In the 3rd millennium BC Chr. To about 1750 v. A comparatively mild climate prevailed, with summer temperatures presumably 0.5 to a maximum of 2 ° C higher than in the mid-2000s and the associated bad weather. The finds show that the glaciers had at times retreated so far that people could cross the high mountain pass, at least in summer. Another climate change and with it a glacier advance followed around 850 BC. BC Only after 150 BC A longer warm phase began again, which began in 15 BC. Chr. Lasted until 400 AD, again followed by a cold phase, which probably prevented the crossing of the pass.

Shoe fragments found at the Schnidejoch prove that it was used again during the medieval warm period in the 14th and 15th centuries. In the 16th century, the glacier advance closed the pass crossing again during the Little Ice Age . Map sheet 472 of the topographic map of Switzerland, the so-called Siegfried Atlas , shows in the 1882 edition that the glacier at the end of the “Little Ice Age” (1550–1850) extended far beyond the Schnidejoch to the south side, making it impossible to cross . The latest human remains on the Schnidejoch date from the first half of the 20th century, and it was only the rapidly increasing glacier retreat of the last two decades that made it possible to cross the river again without ice. The fact that leather from the late Neolithic was preserved in a relic of the Tungel Glacier until 2003 implies that the ice cover on the Schnidejoch is now less than in the last 5000 years.

Archaeological and climatological exploration

Since the hot summer of 2003, the melting ice rink on the Schnidejoch has been releasing prehistoric and prehistoric clothing and equipment. The finds testify to a forgotten pass crossing and make a significant contribution to research into climate history .

The Schnidejoch became known worldwide after a couple from Thun discovered a conspicuous object made of birch bark about 200 meters below the Schnidejoch on September 17, 2003 and handed it over to the Historical Museum Bern or the Archaeological Service of the Canton of Bern (ADB) for assessment. The experts recognized the find as a fragment of an arrow quiver : A first C14 dating showed an age of around 5000 years. The archaeological service began in the summers of 2004 and 2005 with an in-depth investigation of the area due to the surprising age of individual finds. In the melting ice field and its surroundings, the archaeologists were able to secure around 400 objects or fragments from 6500 years of human history. It is remarkable that both wood finds and perishable organic materials have survived in the ice. Remnants of leather and textiles were discovered either directly on the edge of the ice or only a little away from it; More durable bones and woods, however, were found in a wider environment, together with small iron nails from Roman caligae (sandals) and individual finds from the Bronze Age and from the 14th / 15th. Century.

For archeology and climatology , the discovery is as important as Ötzi . " Of course Ötzi is more sensational, " said Peter Suter, Head of the Prehistory and Early History Department at the Archaeological Service in Bern, on the occasion of an interview in November 2005. " But these finds from several centuries are at least as important for historical research " because they are not only represent a snapshot, but rather document the chronological sequence of settlement and climate history in the Central Alps.

The area around the ice field at Schnidejoch is considered to have been extensively investigated and most of the finds have been secured. It is unclear whether further finds are waiting to be discovered in the still frozen middle of the small glacier or along the mule track.

Findings

The numerous ice finds released from the ice since 2003 come from both prehistoric and early historical times. They are considered unique because they shed new light on the cultural and historical development of the Alps and prove that people made good use of the pass from the Bernese Oberland to the Valais, which has been forgotten in modern times, when the climate is favorable. The organic finds are particularly valuable: They survived the millennia because they were preserved very quickly in the high mountain climate by snow and ice, as was the case with the Similaun mummy, and were found at the same time as the ice field thawed.

Neolithic

Cultures in Switzerland

The Archaeological Service of the Canton of Bern found a large number of scattered remains of clothing and equipment. These gradually resulted in the almost complete equipment of a Neolithic hunter, which, unlike Ötzi, cannot be assigned to a single person without a doubt. Nevertheless, there are optimistic speculations about a possible glacier mummy, prematurely named "Schnidi"; such a stroke of luck is considered unlikely.

According to the first investigation in 2004/5, around half of all C14-dated objects come from the period between 2900 and 2600 BC. Chr. (Lüscherz / Schnurkeramik ); According to the analysis published on August 21, 2008, 46 finds were found dating from around 4500 BC. Dated.

Quiver, bow and arrows

The oldest finds include the mentioned quiver fragment from Birch , a 2004 found cattle train that served as protection of the arrow quiver and two sticking in the bottom part quiver stalked arrowheads from flint . Another find is an arch made of yew of 160 centimeters in length and fragments of three 80-centimeter-long arrows from Snowball rods that could have belonged to quiver. A hiking group from Wiesbaden found the bow and a fragment of the arrow on September 19, 2003; Around two years later, after the first press reports on the Schnidejoch, a participant handed over the finds they had taken home to the Archaeological Service in Bern.

Findings made of leather

A number of larger and smaller fragments of leather and straps come from probably four different Neolithic shoes . The best-preserved piece made it possible to reconstruct a simple shoe, which was probably cut from fresh animal skin directly on the wearer's foot. Marquita Volken from the Department of Footwear and Historical Leatherwork in Lausanne put the individual leather flaps together under the microscope, drew a model of the shoe and made the aforementioned replica. The department also restored the fragmentary leather parts of Roman sandals and a medieval shoe sole.

An inconspicuous, crumpled piece of leather turned out to be a 70 cm × 60 cm fragment of a leg dress , with a lengthwise seam and a patch; Linden bast served as thread . Small particles, possibly from human skin, were found in the protected folds of the pant legs, but DNA analysis did not confirm this. The Lausanne specialist department also examined these leather residues and was impressed by the quality of the processed animal hide. An attempt is now being made to imitate the Stone Age tanning technique ( experimental archeology ) and to find out which techniques and tools were used to work the hides. The pore size allows conclusions to be drawn about the animal from which the leather comes, which initially did not lead to a clear finding in the case of trousers: goat or sheep . Angela Schlumbaum, paleogeneticist at the Basel Institute for Prehistoric and Scientific Archeology, then analyzed a piece of lederhosen the size of a thumbnail in order to sequence the genetic material - damaged by the tanning and usually broken into fragments after such a long time - for a DNA analysis . The result of the analysis was surprising in several respects: The sample can be clearly assigned to a certain goat breed, which today is mainly widespread in Asia and was probably also at home in Switzerland in the Neolithic period.

Fur remnants

Two remains of fur are difficult to classify by the researchers: the preliminary examination using scanning probe microscopy indicates equidae, horses or donkeys , but cattle could not be excluded either. If a DNA analysis confirms that it is indeed equidae, this would probably be evidence of an early form of domestication .

Bronze age

Single finds

The experts interpret a wooden object sewn together from several parts as a so-called chip box from the early Bronze Age . Twisted branch and twig fragments as well as rings made of branches of different thicknesses, which belonged to ties with which loads were held together and / or tied to the animals to be tied to the animals, were strikingly common. This indicates trade connections and regular goods transport across the Alps. Various raffia braids are believed to have come from clothes. Particularly interesting is the fragment of a cloak like the one worn by the glacier mummy from Tisenjoch .

Trade route across the Alps

As a result of the mild climate between the 3rd millennium and 1750 BC The crossing over the Schnidejoch was passable at least in summer and, together with the Simplon Pass ( 2006  m above sea level ), represented the shortest connection between northern Italy and the Bernese Oberland. The large number of finds from this cultural epoch is for the Bernese experts Reference to a brisk traffic for the time.

The early Bronze Age graves of the Rhone Valley and the region around Lake Thun indicate a direct connection between the Valais and the Bernese Oberland. The find of a bronze disc-headed needle (23 cm long) decorated with fine incised lines from the period between 2000 and 1750 BC. BC supports this assumption: Similar clothing needles were also found in graves in Ayent on the southern slope of the Schnidejoch, in Saillon (around 1600 BC) and a washer-head needle from the same period and largely identical to that of the Schnidejoch in Bex .

Roman epoch

Single finds

An approximately five centimeter wide fragment of white sheep's wool , which probably belonged to the belt of a Roman tunic, dates from the time around the birth of Christ . The quality of the wool corresponds to today's merino sheep products .

The sole of the caligae studded with nails

The archaeological service also found a Roman fibula from the late 1st or early 2nd century AD. In the ice field and its surroundings, there were around 100 shoe nails along the presumed mule track that were lost when crossing the pass and of the caligae (sandals) Roman ones soldiers or hemmers could originate, as well as a shoe fragment from the last third of the 1st century. AD.

References to other sites

The Roman finds suggest that the pass crossing was used intensively, one of the shortest routes from northern Italy to the Swiss plateau . The nearby Mansio (Roman hostel) on the west bank of Lake Iffig at 2065  m above sea level has been open since the 1980s . M. partially explored. From here, the route from the Schnidejoch into the Rhône Valley could be mastered in a day's march. A sesterce of Commodus (187/188) found in 1941 comes from the vicinity of the Wildhornhütte, about halfway between the Iffigsee and the Schnidejoch. A silver coin ( denarius ) from the time of Caracalla (201–206) allows the conclusion that the pass crossing over the Schnidejoch was probably still accessible at the beginning of the 3rd century.

middle Ages

Fragments of a medieval leather shoe sole date to the 14th or 15th century .

reception

The artifacts found on the Schnidejoch were exhibited from April 3 to October 26, 2014 in the Bernisches Historisches Museum as part of the temporary exhibition “ The pile dwellers - On the water and over the Alps ” . The equipment of the hunter from Schnidejoch , which has meanwhile been restored or supplemented with replicas , formed the highlight of the exhibition with a total of 460 exhibits.

literature

• Find report 2006 . In: Yearbook Archeology Switzerland (Basel) 90 (2007), pp. 135–214, online .
• gtg (= Georges Tscherrig): The search for "Ötzi" continues: New finds from the ice on the Schnidejoch . In: Walliser Bote 166th vol., No. 270 of November 21, 2006, p. 9, online .
• Peter J. Suter, Albert Hafner, Kathrin Glauser et al. : Lenk-Schnidejoch. Finds from the ice - a prehistoric and early historical pass crossing . Bern: Staatlicher Lehrmittelverlag 2005 (Archeology in the Canton of Bern; 6), pp. 499–522.
• gtg (= Georges Tscherrig): Finds on the (oldest?) pass crossing Bern – Wallis . In: Walliser Bote 165th vol., No. 263 of November 14, 2005, p. 11, online .
• Peter J. Suter et al .: Prehistoric and early historical finds from the ice: The rediscovered pass over the Schnidejoch . In: AS: Archeology of Switzerland (Basel) 28 (2005), no . 4, pp. 16-23, doi : 10.5169 / seals-21050 .
• Albert Hafner: Schnidejoch and Lötschenpass. Archaeological research in the Bernese Alps = Schnidejoch et Lötschenpass. Archaeological investigations in the Alps of Bernoises. Bern: Archaeological Service of the Canton of Bern 2015. ISBN 978-3-907663-35-6 .

Web links

• Website of the canton of Bern: Eisfeld in the Bernese Oberland reveals unique archaeological finds , with numerous additional information and images. Press release from November 11, 2005.
• Albert Hafner: Schnidejoch. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Tages-Anzeiger (August 21, 2008): New finds in the ice - older than Ötzi
2. ↑ University of Bern, Communication Department: Ice finds from Schnidejoch - 1000 years older than Ötzi ( Memento of the original from August 19, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
3. ^ Oeschger Center, Ötzi Conference , Schnidi and the Reindeer Hunters: Ice Patch Archeology and Holocene Climate Change from 21./22. August 2008 ( Memento of the original from August 27, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (English) 
4. ↑ The Oeschger Center for Climate Research at the University of Bern and the Archaeological Service of the Canton of Bern organized a symposium for experts in archeology and climate research on August 21 and 22, 2008. The conference was attended by 120 researchers from all countries in which glacier discoveries of this kind have been made: Canada, Norway, Austria, Italy, Switzerland and the USA.
5. ↑ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k l} Media release: Ice field in the Bernese Oberland reveals unique archaeological finds. Canton of Bern, November 11, 2005, accessed on January 13, 2018 . 
6. ↑ Martin Groshean, Peter J. Suter, Mathias Trachsel, Heinz Wanner : Ice-borne prehistoric finds in the Swiss Alps reflect Holocene glacier fluctuations . In: Journal of Quaternary Science . February 2007, doi : 10.1002 / jqs.1111 .
7. ↑ ^{a b c} Website Landschaftsmuseum Obermain: The transition at the Schnidejoch (CH) - the ice releases new treasures , accessed on August 27, 2008
8. ↑ ^{a b c d} Die Welt (November 14, 2005): New trade routes
9. ↑ ^{a b c} Tages-Anzeiger (August 26, 2008): Is the mummy of «Schnidi» still lying in the ice field?
10. ^ University of Basel, Institute for Prehistoric and Scientific Archeology: Website of Dr. Angela Schlumbaum
11. ↑ Tagesschau (SRF) main edition on April 2, 2014 on SRF 1
12. ↑ Schnidejoch glacier finds exhibited for the first time . The federal government . April 2, 2014. Retrieved April 2, 2014.