La Tène, Switzerland
La Tène, Switzerland [Si].Iron Age site on the shores of Lake Neuchatel in western Switzerland, discovered in 1857 when the water level in the lake was unusually low. This revealed timber piles and a wide range of iron objects, especially weapons. Subsequent excavations by Emile Vouga between 1880 and 1885 and William Wabre and Paul Vouga between 1907 and 1917 have resulted in the recovery of a vast collection of objects, human skeletal material, and further evidence for timber structures, but no certain evidence for the purpose or nature of the site. While some scholars see La Tène as a settlement, others interpret it a timber platform on the edge of the lake, approached via timber causeways, from which votive deposits and perhaps burials were made. In support of this is the relative poverty of domestic debris from the site and the abundance of high-quality iron and bronze weapons and personal ornaments including: 166+ swords and scabbards, 269+...
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