The Dyolin stone and the Niton stone are two emblematic rocks in Geneva's harbour. These boulders tell an exciting story, as they were deposited during the Ice Age at the end of the Pleistocene, around 19,000 years ago, and have passed through various eras of human history. The age of these stones is estimated at some 320 million years, which corresponds to the age of the Mont Blanc massif from which they are thought to have come. Of these two stones, the Niton stone is the most important.
Initially symbolic emblems of Geneva's harbour, these stones were used as lake markers to monitor lake levels. In the 18th In the 19th century, a large number of infrastructures were developed around the lake, and these became the target of criticism. The Niton stones have helped to demonstrate that some of these infrastructures, such as the hydraulic machine on the Pont de la Machine in Geneva, had no effect on water retention and therefore on the level of the lake. However, it is above all as a geographical landmark that the Niton stones are gaining recognition at federal level. In fact, in 19th In the 19th century, one of the two stones, the Niton stone, was used as a topographical reference point by several geographers. In particular, it was used to draw up the Dufour map and the Siegfried map, which were used to estimate the level of Switzerland. In the 20th century that the altitude of the Niton stone was re-evaluated at the emblematic altitude of 373.6 metres, which served as a reference for updating Swiss altimetry.
In 2012, the Niton stones were classified as a Swiss geotope, whose main interests are geomorphological, historical and geocultural.
The subject of myths and legends, the etymology of the word Niton is still a mystery. Niton could come from Neptune or even from Neith, the Egyptian goddess. However, the most far-reaching hypothesis remains Neiton, which in Vaudois dialect means devil. In 1660, two axes dating from the Bronze Age were found, along with cupules, geometric inscriptions on the surface of the stones, testifying to their historicity and cultural importance. These stones appear in numerous paintings and sketches of the lake, including Konrad Witz's The Miraculous Peach (1444).
You now know part of the history of the Niton stones, landmarks of the Geneva and wider Swiss landscape. A geotope of many dimensions, you can find out more about the Niton stones by following the links below:
https://www.ge.ch/teaser/repere-pierre-du-niton
Source :
Sesiano, J., Schnyder, C., Proz, P. A., Gnos, E., & Schaltegger, U. (2011). The Niton Stones revisited: bedrock, mineralogy, dating and origin. Science archives, 64, 81-90. https://www.unige.ch/sphn/Publications/ArchivesSciences/AdS2004-2015/AdS2011Vol64Fasc1/081-090_Sesiano64_1.pdf
Photo credit :
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