Deciphering Lakeside Settlements
The scientific study of the pile dwellings has brought to light many details of the prehistoric economy and human-environment relationships. But perhaps our concepts of economy and settlement have been too simple so far. This project aims to lay the foundations for the application of palaeogenetics to sediments in pile-dwelling archaeology.
PI Peter Trebsche, Co-PIs: Örni Akeret (IPNA Basel), Niels Bleicher (Stadt Zürich), Laura Epp (University of Konstanz), Rouven Turck (University of Zürich)
Austrian Science Fund (FWF); Grant-DOI: PIN2805024.
Projekt duration: October 2025 - September 2028; Link to project
View from the Immensee village square site towards the southern basin of Lake Zug. The archaeological site is located directly on the western shore of the lake
Aerial view of the large-scale rescue excavation site on the shore of Lake Zug during the development-related excavation in autumn 2020
Systematic sampling of pile dwelling cultural layers from on-site sediment profiles at the Zurich Office for Urban Development, Underwater Archaeology/Dendroarchaeology Department (Switzerland) for palaeoecological investigations in the Microarchaeological Laboratory of the University of Innsbruck
Targeted sampling of organic cultural layers from the Neolithic pile dwelling settlement at Immensee for palaeoecological on-site analyses was carried out using disposable syringes and laboratory film to prevent contamination and drying out of subfossil pollen