Beneath the surface
Exploring prehistoric pile dwellings
A pile dwelling is a term used for houses built on piles. It is used specifically when referring to prehistoric human settlements near lakes, rivers, bogs, and marshlands.
More than 1,000 pile dwellings are known around the Alps in the six Alpine countries: Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Slovenia, and Switzerland.
The importance of pile dwellings and their research contributes to a better understanding of the day-to-day lives of the farming communities in the Alpine countries.
This is a simple exploration of pile dwellings around the Alps from 5000 to 500 BC.
Dive
Legend
River
Bog
Marshland
Lake
Prehistoric Timeline
5500 BC500 BC5005500The Map
The Map
Displayed on the map are 111 pile dwellings around the Alps from six Alpine countries: Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Slovenia, and Switzerland.
What is a Pile-dwelling?
The name originates from the construction technique in which wooden houses are elevated above the ground using wooden poles (called piles).
In fact, when the first findings of the pile dwellings were discovered, the only evidence found was the piles themselves.
In this photo, you can see the lower level of the lake Neuchâtel exposing the piles from a prehistoric village.
Where are they located?
Many pile-dwelling villages can be found across Europe, not only around the Alps.
They are specifically located near lakes, rivers, and marshes.
This map shows that the majority of sites in the Alpine area are located in lakes, indicated by the light blue points.
While many believe these houses were built over the water on the lake, they were actually on marshy land, with the piles protecting them from floods.
Why are they important?
Insights into early human life.
Preservation of organic artefacts.
Represents shared cultural heritage.
Provides scientific research opportunities
Some of these sites date back over 7,000 years and are the earliest evidence of farming, which is not as well studied as in other areas of Europe.
Some examples of early sites are found in sites near lakes such as Lac Chalain in France, Egolzwil 3 in Switzerland, Roseinsel in Germany and Isolino Virginia in Italy but also river sites like the one found in Slovenia. As you can see in the map.
Are These Archaeological Sites Known?
In 2011, UNESCO recognized the historical and cultural value of the prehistoric pile-dwellings around the Alps, protecting these remarkable sites.
At that time, 937 unique pile-dwellings were documented across six Alpine countries.
Switzerland alone had over 400 pile-dwelling sites recorded.
Alpine Data Overview
Are These Archaeological Sites Protected?
Out of these 937, only 111 were approved for inclusion in the World Heritage List.
You can see each site and its buffer zone on the map.
UNESCO Data Overview
Protected Areas
The UNESCO protective zone considers the broader context and vulnerability of the site.
The size of the buffer zones varies depending on the site's specific characteristics. In some cases, they can include surrounding natural features, such as lakes, rivers, and wetlands, which are crucial to the site's preservation.
Two of the largest buffer zones are Severna Skupina, a river pile dwelling site in Slovenia, and VI.1-Emissario, a lake pile dwelling site in Italy.
How big were these sites?
The size of a prehistoric pile-dwelling village varied significantly depending on the site, time period, and location.
Archaeological evidence provides estimates of the number of houses and the population sizes for some sites.
However, exact numbers can be difficult to determine due to preservation issues and incomplete excavation.
Villages
A typical pile-dwelling village could range from small clusters of a few houses to larger settlements.
In many cases, archaeologists have identified between 10 and 30 houses per settlement.
A well-preserved and studied site, Sutz-Lattrigen (Lake Biel), has up to 30 houses in certain phases of its occupation, as you can see in the image.
Houses
The pile-dwelling houses were generally rectangular structures built on wooden piles above the water. The size of each house could range from 30 to 50 square meters, featuring wooden floors, walls made of wattle and daub, and roofs constructed from organic materials like straw and reeds.
Due to the excellent preservation of waterlogged sites, the oldest known door was found at the Robenhausen site, dating to around 3,700 BC.
Village Layout
The layout followed the shoreline or natural feaures on the wetlands and was adapted to the local environmental conditions (flucturating water levels).
Wheel
In some of these sites, some of the oldest wheels have been found. One example is the Ljubljana Marshes Wheel, which is 5,100 to 5,350 years old and was discovered in the pile dwelling area in Slovenia.
Lake Neuchâtel
Around Lake Neuchâtel, several pile dwellings have been discovered. These sites have yielded unique findings, including boats, linen and woven fabrics, charred plants, remains of domestic animals, and fish hooks. This evidence suggests that the communities living here engaged in fishing, farming, animal husbandry, and gathering fruits from their surroundings.
To learn more, a great place to visit is the Laténium Museum.
Lake Zurich
The large concentration of pile dwellings around Lake Zurich has also brought to light unique findings, not only for the Alpine region but for Europe as a whole. The discovery of a door is one of a kind and, to date, the oldest ever found.
One of the oldest bread was also found in Zurich, though other types of bread have been discovered at sites across Europe. You can see some of these findings at the Zurich Landesmuseum.
Lake Constance
Several sites are located in Lake Constance, mainly on the German side, but an important site, Arbon, is also found on the Swiss side.
This site is known for its remarkable archaeological findings, including well-preserved wooden structures and ancient tools, which provide valuable insights into the lives of prehistoric communities.
Continue This Journey
One of the best open-air museums for pile dwellings can be visited at this lake, where you are transported to prehistory. You can venture inside the village walls, pass through the gates, cross bridges, and imagine what daily life was like for the prehistoric people.
There are reconstructed houses that interpret how households were organized, providing the best way for you to learn about this period of time when people lived near the water, elevating their houses on piles to protect them from flooding.