Three artificial (neolithic) islets in the Lake of Zug (Switzerland)?

A publication last year (D.Garrow, F.Stuart: 'Neolithic crannogs: rethinking settlement, monumentality and deposition in Outer Hebrides and beyond', Antiquity 93, Issue 36, June 2019) has shown that several artificial islets in lakes of Northern Scotland have been created in the neolithic period (and served probably as 'cult places').

 

Our study 'L'Ile de Peilz/Villeneuve VD artificielle ?' discussed this possibility for this small island in the Lake of Geneva (Switz.).

 

Lately, the the report of 170 artificial neolithic stone hillocks, a few meters below the water surface, along the southern coast of the Lake of Konstanz, has caught much public interest.

 

We postulate this possibility also for three islets in the Lake of Zug (Switzerland), i.e. "Inseli" Eielen/Oterswil (P.414.4, with cross; 680.260/220.055, township of Zug), 'Lorzeinsel' (680.245/225.360; township of Zug), nearby the river 'Neue Lorze' flows into the lake, and an artificial stone hillock in the bay of Cham ZG (677.302/225.410), about 4m below lake level; this would indicate that the water level of the lake was for a longer period about 5 - 10m lower than today.

 

In the following only an excerpt of their many precise geometric relations are given which we believe are typical for locations which have a neolithic origin (and which, in an imaginary functional hypothesis, may "pump" the "power" from other "cult places" through this "net" of geometric relations ?).

 

The islet "Inseli" is equidistant (5.30 km, always measured horizontally) from the islet 'Lorzeinsel', from the Loretochapel/ Zug (682.175/225.010) and from the chapel Zittenbusch/ Unterägeri ZG. The same distance a fourth time between the chapel Zittenbusch and the chapel St.Karl/Zug; this straight line goes to the chapel Heiligkreuz/Cham.

 

The straight line  "Inseli"  -  chapel St.Karl  can be prolonged to the chapel 'Schutzengel'/Baar ZG (683.025/228.135) which is equidistant (8.60 km) from "Inseli" and from the chapel Zittenbusch.

 

The straight line  "Inseli"  -  'Lorzeinsel'  leads to the chapel Ammansmatt/Steinhausen ZG (680.235/226.775).

 

'Lorzeinsel' is equidistant (2.92 km) from the islet near Cham and from the chapel St.Sebastian (Inwil)/Baar, and the same distance between this chapel in Inwil and the one in Ammansmatt !

 

The most probably artificial islet (under water) near Cham is equidistant (6.08 km) from "Inseli" and from the chapel in Honau LU; this chapel is again equidistant (6.84 km) from "Inseli" and from the church in Sins AG.

 

Interesting is the equidistance (4.57 km) of the 'Lorzeinsel' from the (probably neolithic) earthwork 'Chugelrüti'/Baar (683.780/ 228.235) and from the castle 'Wildenburg'/Baar.

 

Equally telling is the equidistance (4.48 km) of the "sunken islet" of Cham from a large erratic block stone surrounded by a semi-circle of other blocks on Chilchberg/Risch ZG (677.740/ 220.925) and from the "elegantly formed" menhir 'Blegiholz'/ Steinhausen (679.500/229.370).

 

The islet "Inseli" is equidistant (9.39 km) from the "prehistoric resting-place" 'Hinterbüel'(P.445.8)/Cham (677.360/229.000) on a small hillock, from the chapel Schwandegg/Menzingen ZG and from the church in Greppe LU. The castle 'Schwanau' (in ruins)/Lauerz SZ , situated on an island which is probably too big to be artificial, is equidistant (12.91 km) from this church and from "Inseli". (The same distance between "Inseli" and the church in Vitznau LU; not indicated in graph.)

 

The islet 'Lorzeinsel' is also equidistant (17.46 km) from the castle 'Schwanau' and from the former castle 'Hertenstein'/ Weggis LU (P.481; 673.535/209.200). The straight line  'Lorzeinsel'  -  castle 'Schwanau'  passes via the church Steinenberg SZ, and the church in Küssnacht a. Rigi SZ is then equidistant (11.24 km) from 'Lorzeinsel' and from church Steinenberg.

 

Finally, the castle 'Schwanau' is equidistant (14.50 km) from the former castle 'Hertenstein' and from the old church in Oberwil/ Zug (681.030/222.425).

 

 

In the area of "Inseli" neolithic artefacts were detected, for 'Lorzeinsel' the situation is not entirely clear and for the "sunken islet" of Cham investigations have only started.

Very hypothetically one may imagine that the islets "Inseli" and 'Lorzeinsel' were built first and later, when the water level of the lake was lower, the "sunken islet" of Cham was created (?).