Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The archaeological site of Hautecombe, immersed in Lake Bourget at Saint-Pierre-de-Curtille (Savoie), is an exceptional testimony of the lakeside towns of the Middle and Recent Neolithic. These remains, including wooden support piles and traces of habitat, illustrate human occupation in wetlands, a major phenomenon of European prehistory. The excavations, carried out between 1980 and 2004, revealed slaughter phases around -3842, -3835, and -3830, as well as a more recent occupation between -3375 and -3040 B.C., confirmed by radiocarbon dating.

The deposit, the oldest known to date in Lake Bourget, offers an overview of neolithic lifestyles, with wooden structures partially preserved by immersion. These habitats, built on stilts, reflect a remarkable adaptation to environmental constraints, typical of the lake communities of the time. The site, classified as Historic Monument in 2011, covers a surface of 160 m by 60 m, marked by a concentration of piles still visible today.

Research has highlighted the importance of Hautecombe in studying the cultural and technological transitions between medium and recent Neolithic. The remains, although fragile, provide valuable data on construction techniques, the spatial organization of villages, and daily activities (agriculture, fishing, handicrafts). Their underwater preservation makes it a unique archaeological laboratory to understand the social and economic dynamics of this pivotal period.

The location of the site, off the banks of Saint-Pierre-de-Curtille, has been specified by extended Lambert II coordinates, although its accessibility remains limited due to its immersion. The studies carried out here are part of a wider network of research on alpine lake communities, contributing to a better understanding of the interactions between human groups and their environment during prehistory.

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