La Tène - Archaeological Site

La Tène is a protohistoric archaeological site on the northern shore of Lake Neuchâtel [1]. Dating to the second part of the European Iron Age it is the type site of the La Tène culture, which dates to about 450 BCE to the 1st century BCE and extends from Ireland to Anatolia and from Portugal to Czechia [1]. The site is located in the lieu-dit La Tène [1]. It is also the point where the Thielle river leaves the lake and flows in the direction of lake Biel [1]. The site of La Tène was discovered in 1857 during a period dubbed the "lake dwelling fever" [1]. In November 1857, fisherman Hans Kopp was sailing to a Neolithic dwelling near Concise from Lake Biel under orders from Colonel Friedrich Schwab when he spotted an interesting spot near La Tène [1]. He stopped and started investigating, and within an hour he had found around forty iron objects, among which were eight spearheads and twelve swords [1]. Around 1870, the first Jura water correction brought the lake level 2.7 m lower, and the site which was believed to be exhausted proved to have more to be found [1].