< home # store # services # articles # game # app #contact >

Particularly in the area around Lake Constance and the Rhine River, from around 3200 to 3500 BC. A neolithic and chalcolithic culture existed. It is named after the site of Pfyn
Located near the town of Frauenfeld, in Switzerland.

“Pfahlbaukultur”, pile dwellings or lake dwelling culture, ranged over a fairly wide area Thankfully, using archaeological methods, a large culture can be broken down.

Four key phases were: the Cortaillod, the Pfyn, the Horgen, and the Schnurkeramik.
The culture shares similarities with the Cortaillod culture

In the autumn of 1944, an area of approximately 1,000 square metres (11,000 sq ft) was excavated by interned Polish soldiers.

Pfyn culture became known for its distinctive pottery, which often features finely crafted, functional vessels
Ceramics include a variety of shapes and sizes, with some decorated using incised patterns or simple geometric designs. Scientists have noted similarities to Michelsberg ceramics of south Germany.

Domesticated animals were also found including cattle pig sheep/goat and dog
This would have been supplemented by wild animals, fish, and plants.

Wheat was the primary cereal type
Emmer, Einkorn also played a key role. They had Poppy, flax, legumes, peas and lentils. Blackberries, apples, plums, hazelnuts, raspberries and strawberries.

Because of there location though. Wild versus domestic flora and fauna, continued to vary year to year
These sites also included a large number of textiles, which often deteriorate quickly in archaeological contexts. Its believed the economy of the Pfyn culture was based on a mix of agriculture, animal husbandry, and trade.

Pfyn culture settlements were typically situated near water sources, such as lakes and rivers
Different houses were found, built with two naves, and different sizes and lengths. Suggesting larger homes with outside farm buildings.

Floors had complex support structures, and overlying split boards. Which were usually covered with clay.

It reflected a relatively stable, agrarian lifestyle. Evidence of trade networks suggests that the Pfyn people engaged in exchanges with neighboring cultures.

They produced a range of stone tools, including flint blades, axes, and grinding stones
The Pfyn lithic assemblage contained axes made of nephrite or greenstone. They also had projectile points, hammers, small flake tools, spindle whorls, and loom weights.

Axe handles, agricultural tools, and bows and arrows were crafted from specific types of wood. Additionally, there are artifacts such as bone tools and ornaments, which provide insight into the daily life and material culture of the people.

Perhaps most surprising is the evidence of early metal working
There were ceramic crucible fragments, or German: Schmelztiegel. It is a byproduct of metalworking. Indicating that some items may have also been made of soft, easily-worked metals, such as copper. Crucibles were probably used to produce copper beads, axes, and other items. Because it would have been very hot.

Burial practices in the Pfyn culture include both individual and collective graves
Throughout the Swiss neolithic, human remains and burials are fairly rare. Two rare examples, were found in 1864 and 1874. It is believed they probably date from the Pfyn culture. And, were possibly buried together due to there close proximity.

Graves offer insights into the social and ritual aspects of the culture.
Organized settlement presence, specialized tools, and trade networks also suggest social complexity and organization.

Pig farming occurred during the Pfyn culture
Keeping large numbers of pigs typical appeared in later cultures. Indicating Pfyn culture, likely had a well-developed social structure. And, was part of a larger network of neolithic communities.

This culture is an important part of the neolithic period. It provides valuable information about the development of early agricultural societies in Switzerland. Its artifacts and settlement patterns help researchers understand the transition.

Bibliography: Pfyn – Pre-Roman Era in German (http://www.hls-dhs-dss.ch/textes/d/D1982.php), French (http://www.hls-dhs-dss.ch/textes/f/F1982.php) and Italian (http://www.hls-dhs-dss.ch/textes/i/I1982.php) in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland

Francesco Menotti (2004). Living on the lake in prehistoric Europe: 150 years of lake-dwelling research (https://books.google.com/books?id=OEK5PyQUtegC&pg=PA154). Routledge. pg. 57.ISBN 978-0-415-31719-1

Culture | Milwaukee Public Museum. (n.d.). https://www.mpm.edu/research-collections/anthropology/online-collections-research/robenhausen-site/culture

Rainer Berger; Hans Eduard Suess (1979). Radiocarbon dating: proceedings of the ninth international conference, Los Angeles and La Jolla, 1976 (https://books.google.com/books?id=
YupA6DrPQJIC&pg=PA104). University of California Press. pg. 104–107.
ISBN 978-0-520-03680-2

Schibler, J. 2006. “The economy and environment of the 4th and 3rd millennia BC in the northern Alpine foreland based on studies of animal bones”. Environmental Archaeology 11(1):
49-65