Unusually large site Sensational find in Oberbalm BE - researchers discover huge archaeological treasure
In Oberbalm BE, researchers have found traces from several eras - from Stone Age tools to a Roman estate at an unusual height.
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- Tools, farmsteads and Roman buildings from various eras have been discovered in Oberbalm BE.
- Particularly striking are a Roman farmstead at an altitude of 800 meters and a soapstone cooking pot.
- The excavations will continue until spring and are one of several major finds in Switzerland.
In Oberbalm BE, 4000-year-old tools, Bronze Age farmsteads and Roman buildings were found during construction work, according to theBerner Zeitungnewspaper.
The finds date from different periods and include a Roman farmstead, which is located at an unusually high altitude of around 800 meters. "Oberbalm was repeatedly inhabited over different eras", explains Marianne Ramstein, deputy head of the Prehistoric and Underwater Archaeology department, to the newspaper.
The excavations began in mid-October after pottery shards were found during routine checks. During further investigations, the experts discovered soil discoloration, stone layers and traces of earlier pits and wooden structures.
Particularly striking among the finds are a tool made of flint, probably from the Neolithic period, and an early medieval cooking pot made of soapstone. As Ramstein explains, the extent of the site is unusually large: "There are only a few settlements in the canton of Bern that have been investigated over such a wide area."
According to the Berner Zeitung newspaper, the excavations should be completed by spring.
Repeated finds in Switzerland
Such finds are not uncommon in Switzerland. In 2018, for example, a 5,000-year-old shoe was found during excavations in Greifensee near Maur ZH. The bast footwear is almost completely preserved.
There have also been such discoveries this year: For example, archaeologists discovered the remains of a 2000-year-old Roman bridge on a construction site in Aegerten BE. More than 300 oak piles, preserved in the groundwater, came to light during the construction work.
The bridge stood at the gates of the small town of Petinesca near present-day Studen BE, an important crossing point for waterways and country roads. The newly discovered bridge crossed the Zihl river and was part of the Roman Jura transversal, which connected important towns at the time.
