Roman domination : the Celts. In a short time there were, 

 not only in the lakes of Switzerland, hut also in Italy, 

 France, the south of Germany and Austria, lake-dwellings 

 discovered. The suppositions of Keller, as to the manner 

 of living and origin of this people, were confirmed in 

 every direction and in a marvelous manner. There have 

 been found in Switzerland about 250 such lake-villages, 

 differing as much in size as the villages of the present 

 day. Thus this strange history of remote times lies pretty 

 clear and unveiled before us. The model before our eyes 

 Of a laCUStrian settlement has been constructed after the 



researches and discoveries of Keller, the father of Swiss 



modern researches of antiquities. At some distance from 

 the shore of the lake we observe, above the water, some 

 square, low huts, with gabled roofs made of plaited work, 

 clay and straw, built on an extentive wooden structure. 

 A long narrow path connects this wooden island with the 

 mainland. The necessity of protecting their own persons 

 against their enemies, or wild animals, may have been 

 the principal cause of this way of building. It offered 

 also great advantages for fishing. A great number of fish, 

 drawn hither by the refuse, collected no doubt around 

 these habitations and were then easily caught. The lakes 

 offered also much better means of communication than the 

 large, primitive forests that covered the country and ren- 

 dered settlements and traffic so much more difficult. What 

 a busy life reigns on these lake-dwellings! There we see 

 fishermen standing with their nets and rods angling for 

 fish, or rowing about in their canoes made of hollowed- 

 out trunks and watching for their prey. Some are spin- 

 ning and weaving before the house, while others are 

 hammering and making all sorts of tools and imple- 

 ments. The children are playing, and some men, returning 

 from hunting, carry, on a strong pole, the game they 

 have killed. 



Arranged round our model may be seen some genuine 

 flint or horn tools, such as hatchets, chisels, with frag- 

 ments of their handles, together with pins, and charcoaled 



remnants of fishing nets, plaitings, thread and cords, all 



of them articles of such perfection and finish, that no 



