LAKE OF STARNBERG (WÜRMSEE).
The Lake of Starnberg lies about 18 miles to the south of Munich, close to the spurs of the great Alpine chain of mountains. The coast is an undulating upland, interspersed with woods, villas, pleasure-grounds, and pretty villages—a passing glimpse of which, together with a constant view of the snow-clad mountains in the distance, renders a trip on this lake one of the most enjoyable attractions to Munich. At its northern end, where its surplus water is carried off by the Würm, it is only about a mile in breadth, but as we sail southwards it expands considerably, and ultimately attains a breadth of three or four miles, with a total length of 12 miles. About four miles up on its western side there is a low but prettily wooded island, called Rosen Insel since 1850, because it was then purchased by the King of Bavaria. Here a royal residence was built on the ruins of an old ecclesiastical establishment, and when its foundations were being dug various sepulchral remains of a mixed character were met with—prehistoric, Roman, and mediæval. Tradition says that the island was originally the site of a heathen temple and a sacred burying-place, which was subsequently appropriated by the Christians and used for similar purposes.
When Professor Desor visited the locality in 1864 in search of lake-dwelling remains, he found on the western margin of this island numerous piles, associated with some antiquities of the lacustrine kind so largely found in the Swiss lakes, from which he concluded that this was the site of a pile-village, and suggested that the whole island might be of an artificial nature. During the following year some further excavations were made, but no important results ensued beyond corroborating the opinion of Desor.
Fig. 36.—Starnberg. All 1⁄2 real size.
In 1874, however, advantage was taken of the low state of the water, and extensive excavations were made under the superintendence of Mr. v. Schab, the Government law-officer at Starnberg. Numerous shafts were dug on the margin of the island, and in all cases a relic-bed was encountered containing antiquities, apparently of very different ages. Not only was there abundance of the usual relics of the Stone Age, but also some of bronze, iron, glass, amber, etc. The collection of objects then made is thus summarised in Mr. v. Schab's report (B. 291):—Of staghorn 187, bronze 158, stone 69, bone 48, wood 7, iron 6, glass 3, and amber 1. The collection is deposited in the Ethnological Museum of Munich, from which I have had the privilege of taking most of the accompanying illustrations ([Figs. 36] and [37]). There appear to be more objects in the case in the Museum from the Starnberg lake-dwelling than Von Schab describes, as, for example, the bronze socketed celt ([Fig. 36], No. 9), but on the other hand it is well known that some have fallen into private hands.
Fig. 37.—Starnberg. Nos. 1 = 1⁄6, 13 = 1⁄4, and the rest = 1⁄2 real size.
Stone.—The flint from this station is of a bluish-grey colour, and does not correspond with the French kind. The articles made from this substance are chips, arrow-points, lance-heads, scrapers, saws, etc. ([Fig. 37], Nos. 14 and 15). Of nephrite there are one or two specimens in the form of small cutting implements; of ordinary stone celts there are a few more or less perfect (No. 17), and one is in a horn casing (No. 12); also some polishers, and grindstones.
Horn, etc.—Various kinds of hafting; about 12 bridle-guiders, a few of which are whole (Nos. 2 and 3); several perforated hammer-axes (Nos. 11 and 13); bone daggers, perforated boars' tusks, awls, etc. The most remarkable objects are two or three large bone discs ornamented ([Fig. 36], Nos. 24 and 30).
Bronze.—Portion of a solid bracelet ornamented with lines and concentric circles, awls and chisels (Nos. 5 and 19), knives (Nos. 1, 2, and 7), daggers (No. 8), hatchets (Nos. 9, 12, and 20), ornamented pins (Nos. 3, 4, 6, etc.), fibulæ (Nos. 21 and 22), needles (No. 13), arrow-points (No. 14), fish-hooks (No. 27), one sickle (No. 18), portion of an ornamented plate (No. 25).
Iron.—A large knife ([Fig. 37], No. 1), a horseshoe, two spear-heads.
Pottery.—Fragments of pottery were very numerous, probably indicating 100 vessels; but no entire dish is among them. The ornamentation is varied, and consists sometimes of parallel grooves, like that of the terramara pottery in North Italy ([Fig. 37], No. 16). The paste used was also of a varied quality. Spindle-whorls of various sizes and forms, clay support-rings, and conical and quadrilateral clay weights; also large beads of burnt clay of an orange colour, ornamented with concentric circles of blue and white ([Fig. 36], No. 17).
Glass, etc.—A few glass beads of variegated colours (No. 23), and one of amber.
Wood.—Wooden wedges, spoons, a fragment of basket-work, etc.
Organic Remains.—Hazel-nuts, burnt corn, and various other seeds. As to osseous remains, those of the domestic animals were twice as numerous as those of the wild species. It may be interesting to note that amongst the latter are included the reindeer (one portion of a horn), cat (one lower jaw of large size), beaver (four individuals), and two kinds of dog (Canis familiaris and matris opt.).