Seengen-Riesi

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Excavation in September 1923, substructure of a pile building

Seengen-Riesi refers to an archaeological site in Seengen in the Swiss canton of Aargau , in the Riesi moor reserve (also Risle or Rieslen ) on Lake Hallwil , in the area of ​​the outflow of the Aabach . It is a lakeside settlement (also called Pfahlbauerdorf or Palafitte) from the Late Bronze Age (11th – 9th centuries BC). Since 2011, the site has been part of the UNESCO World Heritage « Prehistoric pile dwellings around the Alps ».

Discovery and Exploration

Plan of the substructure of a “wattle wall house” by Reinhold Bosch from 1923
Stratigraphy drawing by Bosch, 1923

At the beginning of the 1920s, it was assumed that there was a "pile dwellings" at the outflow of the Aabach from Lake Hallwil , analogous to the situation on other lakes in Switzerland. In the spring of 1923, the postman Arnold Hauri von Seengen carried out test boreholes on the north bank of Lake Hallwil. In the so-called "Riesi", a moor reserve on a peninsula, he came across bones and shards of pots that pointed to a lakeside settlement . In the same year, Reinhold Bosch and the "Historische Vereinigung Seengen" (today " Historische Vereinigung Seetal und Umgebung ") carried out successful explorations and excavations. Another smaller excavation was undertaken in 1925.

The first finds already suggested that it was a settlement from the Late Bronze Age , which dates back to the 11th to 9th centuries BC. Dated. Three construction phases were identified in the shift sequence. The extension of the settlement is 75 m long and 55 m wide, so that it took up an area of ​​over 4000 m². It was found that it was surrounded by a stone wall. According to Bosch, it is not a pile construction in the strict sense, but a real bog construction.

In the September 1923 campaign, a building floor plan measuring 4.40 mx 6.30 m was uncovered roughly in the middle of the settlement. The house floor plan shows a combination of vertical posts and horizontal beams. The framework consists of oak beams. Bosch speaks of a “block wall house” with a single interior. Wey suspects that this uncovered finding is a substructure on which the actual residential construction will follow.

The floor structures of a second and third hut were found underneath, which, according to Bosch, was a "wattle wall house". At least the different layers of exposed floors suggest that these older house findings are a different type of construction. As a result of the subsidence of the floors and part of the walls, the buildings obviously had to be renewed from time to time.

So far, only about two percent of the total settlement area has been archaeologically excavated.

Various finds are exhibited today (2019) in the Burghalde Museum in Lenzburg .

  • Excavation photo, 1923

  • Excavation photo, 1923

  • Reconstruction of the substructure according to Bosch, 1923

Finds and dating

Late Bronze Age ceramics from Seengen-Riesi

The finds from the Bronze Age include ceramic finds such as cooking pots and fine bowls, glass beads, a stone bead, various partly decorated clay whorls that were used for spinning, several rubbing stones, a stone ax, some flint knives, half a bronze arm clasp, three bronze needles, some Millstones, sling stones, a rock crystal with traces of impact and much more.

According to Wey, the sharply flattened edges of the vessels, decorative elements such as incised zigzag lines, rows of triangles, linear bands and hanging arches as well as needles with a flattened spherical head and a two-headed needle allude to the Hallstatt period of stage Ha A2 (11th century BC). The following level Ha B1 also seems to be represented with more richly filled ornamental zones.

The settlement type lakeside settlement

Reconstruction drawing of a pile building by Reinhold Bosch

Lakeside settlements are archaeologically particularly valuable sites, since in the moist soil environment, residues made of organic material are preserved, for example timber and organic waste, e.g. B. arise during the preparation and consumption of food (see conservation conditions for organic material ). The wooden structures can be dated particularly well using dendrochronology . However, the cultural layers are very sensitive and threatened by various human and natural influences.

The settlement type of the lakeside settlement appeared in the early Neolithic around 4500 BC. BC and disappeared at the end of the Bronze Age around 850–800 BC. It was widespread on the banks of the lake and in moor areas on both sides of the Alps. The largest number was found in the Swiss plateau . The Neolithic and Bronze Age settlement remains are villages that were built by the first farmers and ranchers in this region (see Neolithic Revolution ).

One of the main reasons why the Neolithic and Bronze Age farmers built their villages on dry-fallen beach slabs of lakes or moorlands was probably the search for a permanent watering hole in times of relative drought. In addition, the soft, hardly overgrown building site was likely to have been an incentive, as it allowed wooden stakes to be driven into the ground to support the roof and walls of the houses.

If the lake level rose as a result of a deterioration in the climate, the flooded settlement was abandoned or relocated to a higher area. The culture layer and the organic remains were then preserved by the water and the silt.

UNESCO World Heritage «Prehistoric pile dwellings around the Alps»

On June 27, 2011, UNESCO added 111 sites from 6 countries, Germany, Italy, France, Slovenia, Austria and Switzerland, to the World Heritage List as “ Prehistoric pile dwellings around the Alps ” . In Switzerland there are 56 sites from the Neolithic and Bronze Ages. For the canton of Aargau, these are the two settlement areas Seengen-Riesi and Beinwil-Ägelmoos.

In particular, two key research areas are highlighted:

  • Lakeside settlements provide information about the relationships between the environment and the population over a period of around 4,000 years, especially the reactions of the population to climate fluctuations.
  • The testimonies provide insight into the social relationships between different identified cultures. This applies to both the river bank settlements and the material and immaterial exchange with other cultures on the European continent.

Replica of pile construction in Seengen

At the men's pool in Seengen there is a replica of a pile dwelling. This was built in 1989 based on excavations from the Wauwilermoos ( Canton Lucerne ). In addition, information boards draw attention to the lakeside settlements in and around Lake Hallwil.

See also

literature

Archaeological reports:

  • Reinhold Bosch : About the moor village of Riesi on Lake Hallwil. In: Anzeiger für Swiss Archeology. New series 26, issue 2–3, 1924, pp. 73–85. ( Online )
  • Annual report of the Swiss Society for Prehistory No. 15, 1923, category: Bronze Age culture. No. 14: Seengen , pp. 61-64. ( Online )
  • Annual report of the Swiss Society for Prehistory No. 16, 1924, category: The culture of the Bronze Age. No. 15: Seengen , pp. 57–59. ( Online )
  • Annual report of the Swiss Society for Prehistory No. 17, 1925, rubric: The culture of the Bronze Age. No. 21: Seengen , pp. 56–57. ( Online )

Lakeside settlements / pile dwellings in general:

  • Elisabeth Bleuer, Stefan Hochuli, Ebbe Nielsen: The Neolithic and Bronze Age lakeside settlements of the central plateau. In: Archeology Switzerland 27, 2004, pp. 30–41. ( Online )
  • Pierre Corboud, Philipp von Cranach: Bank settlements. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland. (Digital Lexicon on Swiss History) Version of April 3, 2019. ( Online )
  • Pierre Corboud, Margaret Gowen: Protection of the World Heritage against archaeological research. The case of the Prehistoric Pile Dwellings around the Alps registered at UNESCO. In: Yearbook Archeology Switzerland 99, 2016, pp. 157–164. ( Online )
  • Pierre Corboud, Gishan F. Schaeren: The pile dwellings in Switzerland. (= Swiss Art Guide, 99 / 988–989) 2017.
  • Marc-Antoine Kaeser: Les palafittes au Patrimoine mondial de l'Unesco. Elements pour un bilan d'étape. In: Archeology Switzerland No. 4, 2017, pp. 16–23.
  • Peter J. Suter, Helmutschichtherle u. a .: pile dwellings. UNESCO World Heritage candidacy for “Prehistoric pile dwellings around the Alps”. Association for the support of the UNESCO World Heritage candidacy “Prehistoric pile dwellings around the Alps”, Biel, 2009.
  • Emil Vogt: Late Bronze Age ceramics in Switzerland and its chronology. Zurich, 1930.
  • Othmar Wey: Lakeside settlements on the Hallwiler and Baldeggersee. In: Markus Höneisen et al. (Ed.): The first farmers. Pile construction finds in Europe. Research reports on the exhibition in the Swiss National Museum and on the adventure park / exhibition on pile building land in Zurich. Volume 1: Switzerland. Swiss National Museum Zurich, 1990, pp. 286–287.

Web links

Commons : Seengen – Riesi  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Corboud, Schaeren: The pile dwellings of Switzerland.
  2. ↑ Reinhold Bosch: About the moor village Riesi on the Hallwilersee. In: Anzeiger für Swiss Archeology. New series 26, issue 2–3, 1924, p. 73.
  3. ↑ Othmar Wey: Lakeside settlements on the Hallwiler and Baldeggersee. 1990, p. 286.
  4. ↑ Reinhold Bosch: About the moor village Riesi on the Hallwilersee. In: Anzeiger für Swiss Archeology. New series 26, issue 2–3, 1924, p. 75.
  5. ↑ Pierre Corboud, Gishan F. Schaeren: The pile dwellings of Switzerland. (= Swiss Art Guide, 99 / 988–989) 2017, p. 74.
  6. ↑ a b c Annual report of the Swiss Society for Prehistory No. 15, 1923, rubric: Bronze Age culture. No. 14: Seengen , p. 62.
  7. ↑ a b c Othmar Wey: Lakeside settlements on the Hallwiler and Baldeggersee. 1990, p. 287.
  8. ^ Emil Vogt: Late Bronze Age ceramics in Switzerland and its chronology. 1930, p. 9.
  9. ↑ Pierre Corboud, Gishan F. Schaeren: The pile dwellings of Switzerland. (= Swiss Art Guide, 99 / 988–989) 2017, p. 74.
  10. ↑ Reinhold Bosch: About the moor village Riesi on the Hallwilersee. In: Anzeiger für Swiss Archeology. Neue Episode 26, Issue 2–3, 1924, pp. 81–81.
  11. ^ Corboud, Schaeren: The pile dwellings of Switzerland. Pp. 2-3.
  12. ↑ a b c d Pierre Corboud, Philipp von Cranach: Ufersiedlungen. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .
  13. ^ Corboud, Schaeren: The pile dwellings of Switzerland. Pp. 8-10.
  14. ↑ Canton archeology Aargau: Report of the Canton archeology 2011. In: Argovia. Annual journal of the Historical Society of the Canton of Aargau. No. 124, 2012, p. 271.
  15. ↑ Aargauer Zeitung: Information boards for the invisible world heritage on Lake Hallwil . Online contribution from August 3, 2011 (accessed August 26, 2019); Canton Aargau: Seengen - Neolithic house (reconstruction) in the moss . (Accessed August 26, 2019)

Coordinates: 47 ° 19 '2.4 "  N , 8 ° 12' 8.9"  E ; CH1903:  657 750  /  241000