Corsier-Port
Origin of the name Corsier-Port
The site was inscribed on the Unesco World Heritage List in 2011 under the collective name Corsier-Port. The pile-dwelling villages were formerly called « La Gabiule ». The origin of these names remains unexplained.[1]
Founding of Corsier-Port
In a wide bay on the south shore of Lake Geneva, in what is now the municipality of Corsier, Neolithic and Bronze Age communities repeatedly set up their villages at the water's edge. Corsier-Port is the only site on Lake Geneva where all four main phases of lakeshore occupation are attested: Middle Neolithic (Cortaillod classique), Late Neolithic (Lüscherz), Early Bronze Age and Late Bronze Age. The best-preserved layer is the Middle Neolithic one, dated to 3856 BC. The Late Bronze Age occupation, between 891 and 850 BC, covers almost the whole site, over just under two hectares.[1][2]
History of Corsier-Port
3856 BC. Felling phase of the Middle Neolithic (Cortaillod classique culture), the oldest and best-preserved on the site.[1]
Late Neolithic. Village of the Lüscherz culture, of which only stone objects survive.[1]
Early Bronze Age. Occupation of a very small area on the south-west edge of the site.[1]
891-850 BC. Felling phases of the Late Bronze Age, the most extensive occupation.[1]
1858. Hippolyte Gosse discovers the site.[1]
1888. Two settlements are recorded: a Neolithic one near the shore and a Bronze Age one further out in the lake.[1]
1978. A marina project prompts modern research. Prospection and study campaigns continue until 1981, and the project is abandoned.[1]
1990. An anti-erosion protection system is installed over the exposed part of the Middle Neolithic layer.[1]
2011. Inscription on the Unesco World Heritage List under the collective name Corsier-Port.[1]
Historic sites in Corsier-Port
Bay of Corsier-Port. Wide bay on the south shore of Lake Geneva where the pile-dwelling settlements lie.[1]
Remains in Corsier-Port
Middle Neolithic layer. Eroded surface rich in organic remains. A small excavation yielded the only Cortaillod pottery assemblage known so far on Lake Geneva, two sewn bark containers and tools made of bone and red deer antler.[1]
Late Bronze Age ténevière. A moderately dense man-made heap of pebbles with many well-preserved piles. Analysis of 253 piles identified eight felling phases.[1]
Sources
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Corsier - Port » (Pierre Corboud), version du 03.04.2019
- Office fédéral de la protection de la population, Inventaire suisse des biens culturels d'importance nationale, objet 9603 « Corsier-Port (CH-GE-02) » (couche geo.admin.ch ; coordonnées)
- geo.admin.ch, service de recherche de swisstopo (lieu-dit Corsier-Port)
Other villages near Corsier-Port
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