In a previous 60 seconds, we told you about the formation of Lake Geneva, but what about the human presence? It's a safe bet that very distant ancestors of modern man have certainly walked on what is now Switzerland, but the coming and going of the glaciers has had the effect of erasing the anthropological records of the plateau.
Traces of human life can be traced back to 13,000 BC. Remember, until 18,000 BC, Switzerland was covered in ice; at that time, global warming freed the land from the ice, allowing vegetation, followed by wildlife, to re-colonise the Lake Geneva region. And so the reindeer hunters arrived. These "Magdalenian men" lived in small tribes, ranging from a single couple to around thirty individuals, including children. In fact, a man and a woman were capable of providing for their own needs. In their skin tents, or caves, there were scrapers, drills, assegai points and antler chisels. These traces were found at the prehistoric site of Veyrier, excavated throughout the 19th century, as well as in a cave not far from the lake at Villeneuve. Reindeer hunters had a perfect knowledge of their environment, the variations in temperature, the cycles of the seasons and the migration of the reindeer, so they were able to strike a balance between hunting as a way of life and gathering useful elements from their environment.
After several centuries, as the climate became milder, successive generations adapted to a more generous natural environment. As reindeer disappeared from the land, hunters discovered a greater variety of fruit and berries, as well as game such as deer, roe deer, chamois, foxes, wildcats, beavers and many others. These adaptations were accompanied by more meticulous tools, woodworking and arrowheads for the bow, which were now used more frequently. Life seems to have flourished around the Lake Geneva basin, and people are constantly evolving and adapting to their environment. More on the human adventures around Lake Geneva in the next 60 seconds.
Information taken from Lémanique n°26, " The prehistoric villages of Lake Geneva, a threatened heritage "December 1997, as well as the UNIGE's scientific magazine, Campus n°111, " The Swiss before Switzerland "Dec. 2012-Feb. 2013.
Photo credit: ©Campus no. 111, "The Swiss before Switzerland"; "Veyrier (Etrembières, Haute-Savoie), around 13,000 BC, with a view of the Geneva region and the Jura mountains".
