Lake-Bottom Archaeology

Aspects of the history and evolution of Alpine lakes in Austria

“…According to modern archeology this picture is false, and for several decades researchers have believed that these villagers often built their houses at the side of a lake but rarely, if ever, built them over the water. 'The reason it appeared they had done so is that since that time the level of the lakes has risen, submerging the remains of the villages and leaving them some distance from the shore' (Bocquet 1979). This recent opinion, however, implies that Alpine lakes from France to Austria and from Germany to Italy had a much lower level than at present, which for many reasons is difficult to accept.…”

France: A continental insularity

“…Among others, it influenced the French-speaking Swiss archaeologists who, in turn, influenced archaeologists in eastern France. In this lakes area, the ethnographic excavation method allied to new digging techniques gave very interesting results on Neolithic and Bronze Age settlements (Boisaubert et al 1974;Bocquet 1979). The ethnographic method is now broadly accepted in France for prehistoric sites and has a deep influence on excavations of all periods especially metropolitan excavations (Ferdière 1980).…”

The history of crannog survey and excavation in Scotland

“…A number of underwater sites on the continent are presently undergoing excavation with exceptional results. These include the Mesolithic sites of Tybrind Vig, Denmark (Andersen, 1984); the late Neolithic village at Les Baigneurs, Charavines, France (Bocquet, 1979); and a palisaded village site in Lake Neuchitel. Switzerland (Ruoff, 1980: 154).…”