The archaeological site of La Tène is located on the edge of Lake Neuchâtel, Switzerland; it is the type site for the Iron Age (450-50 BC) culture for which it is named.
La Tène was first discovered in 1857, and its identification led to a burgeoning of enthusiasm for archaeological studies. The site consisted of at least two bridges, house structures and a massive armory of nearly 2,500 artifacts.
Most of the artifacts (bronze, wickerwork, bone, and an impressive array of iron weaponry) have been dispersed, so it is difficult to figure out exactly what sort of site it was; but researchers such as Emile and Paul Vouga and William Wavre have believed that it may have been an arms depot, a trading center, or, most recently, arms placed purposefully for ceremonial reasons.
Sources
Cunliffe, Barry 2000 Brittany and the Atlantic rim in the later first millennium BC. Oxford Journal of Archaeology 19(4):367-386.
Loughton, Matthew E. 2009 Getting Smashed: The Deposition of Amphorae and the Drinking of Wine in Gaul During the Late Iron Age. Oxford Journal of Archaeology 28(1):77–110.
Le Huray, Jonathan D. and Holger Schutkowski 2005 Diet and social status during the La Tène period in Bohemia: Carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analysis of bone collagen from Kutná Hora-Karlov and Radovesice. Journal of Anthropological Archaeology 24(2):135-147.
This glossary entry is part of the Dictionary of Archaeology. Any mistakes are the responsibility of Kris Hirst.
