Fig. 6.—Moeringen. All bronze and 1⁄2 real size.
The second station (Unter Station oder Oefeliplätze) contains a steinberg which communicated with an adjacent tongue of land by a bridge. There was no well-defined relic-bed, but the relics picked up are of great value, among which are the following[3]:—A number of nephrite and jadeite hatchets, a nephrite knife in its horn handle, flint knives, a wooden spoon, a miniature canoe, four copper chisels (B. 286, Pl. ix. 34 and 35), two flat hatchets of bronze, showing rudimentary wings, a double-stemmed hair-pin (B. 286, Pl. x. 2), two daggers of bronze, one triangularly shaped (B. 286, Pl. iii. 17), a massive bracelet of bronze, some staghorn hammers, a scoop, some large clay weights, etc. In the Bern Museum are thirteen beads of copper, graduated so as to form a necklet; some arrow-heads of rock crystal; an ammonite and another shell (pectunculus), both perforated; also some perforated small bones, teeth, and beads of horn. (B. 462, p. 64, and Pl. xiv.) Dr. Gross estimates the number of jade implements from Oefeli at thirty or forty, the largest being four inches long, and the smallest one inch (both of nephrite).
Piles were found in various spots in this locality; and associated with one group were Roman remains, such as fragments of tiles, pottery, coins, and bits of glass.
Hagneck.—In this locality, near where the Aar now debouches into the lake, and about one hundred yards from the shore, were formerly to be seen some piles, but the relic-bed seemed to have been washed away. Desor found some stone hatchets and a few other relics. The station was connected with the shore by a bridge sixty-five yards long and thirteen feet wide.
Ile de St. Pierre.—On the south side of this island there are remains of an extensive settlement, the piles of which run parallel to the bank. A large canoe was observed here, lying in the mud, apparently having been swamped with a load of stones, with which it still was filled. It was 50 feet long, and 3½ to 4 feet wide. Near the piles a bronze pin with an oval head, and ornamented with wavy lines, was picked up. Another station was on the north-east side of the island, which is now dry, and on which a large number of bronze objects was collected; but there was no regular relic-bed, and as the objects were gathered on the surface, Dr. v. Fellenberg thinks it has been washed away. (B. 462, p.31.) Among the relics are a bronze knife, a compound pendant curiously arranged (B. 286, Pl. viii. 3), a pair of pincers, portion of a chain consisting of rings and bands, and several fragments of swords, celts, and sickles; also an iron sword with the handle of bronze.
On the south side of the Ile des Lapins there are some piles, which point to this being the site of a station, but on the island itself antiquities of various ages have been collected, such as Roman roofing tiles and coins, a pretty gold ornament, and many objects of Gallo-Roman manufacture.
Locras (Lüscherz).—Owing to the depth of water over the ruins of the settlement opposite this village, the station, although known to Colonel Schwab, did not assume any importance till the winter of 1871-2, when the waters commenced to fall, and the Bernese Government undertook a series of investigations. The extent of the settlement was estimated by Dr. Gross at about four acres, and it had been connected with the shore by a short bridge. The relic-bed, four to twenty inches thick, lay under a considerable accumulation of sand and gravel, and consisted of a blackish stratum of organic débris, which appears to have been peculiarly favourable for the preservation of the usually perishable objects of human industry. It is therefore singularly rich in such remains, and has furnished balls of linen thread, fragments of cloth made of flax, heaps of grain, and various remains of cultivated plants.
In prosecuting the exploration of the station it was found that the relic-bed became more deeply buried the farther it was pursued outwards; so that from 2½ feet, its depth on the shore side, it gradually increased to 7½ on the opposite side. The piles were of oak, beech, silver fir, pine, poplar, and birch, mostly in the form of round stems. All these different kinds of wood appear to have been used in nearly the same proportion all over the settlement except at the north-west corner, at a place called the Steinberg, where the piles were entirely of split oak stems. Another peculiarity was that the piles were more superficial, and hence it was suggested that this corner was of later date. Like most of the other lake-dwelling settlements, the woodwork showed marks of burning. The theory of some sudden catastrophe, such as a general conflagration, was strengthened by the number of human remains—no less than three skulls and some bones of the trunk and extremities—that were found at a depth of 3 feet.