Fig. 254.—Sickle.
With the pruning-bills or sickles we must class the regular scythes (fig. 255) with stems for handling, two specimens of which have been discovered in the lake settlement of the Tène. Their length is about 14 inches, that is, about one-third as large as the scythes used by the Swiss harvest-men of the present day. One important inference is drawn from the existence of these scythes; it is, that at the commencement of the iron epoch men were in the habit of storing up a provision of hay, and must consequently have reared cattle.
Fig. 255.—Scythe, from the Lacustrine Settlements of Switzerland.
The iron fittings at the ends of the boat-hooks used by the boatmen on the lake are frequently found at La Tène; they terminate in a quadrangular pyramid or in a cone (fig. 256). Some still contain the end of the wooden pole, which was attached to it by means of a nail.
Fig. 256.—Iron Point of Boat-hook, used by the Swiss Boatmen during the Iron Epoch.