The Swiss canton of Valais, deep in the Alps in the southwest of the country, boasts a staggering 51 peaks that rise above 4,000 meters in altitude, among them the Dufour, the highest in Switzerland. It is also the place where the Rhône River is born, the most important of the great rivers of Central […]
Switzerland
Posted inClassical Archaeology
A Porticoed Road and a Bronze Panther Found in Augusta Raurica, the Best-Preserved Roman City North of the Alps
As part of a major construction project, the Cantonal Archaeology of Aargau carried out a rescue excavation between early May 2024 and the end of March 2025. This significantly expanded the knowledge about the lower town of Kaiseraugst, the ancient Augusta Raurica, the best-preserved Roman city north of the Alps founded in the summer of […]
Posted inScience
In 1787 a Scientist Cut the Summit of Mont Blanc, Which Is Now Displayed in a Museum
The Teylers Museum in Haarlem is the oldest museum in the Netherlands, founded in 1778. Its collection includes fossils, coins, minerals, scientific instruments, and a selection of paintings by famous artists such as Michelangelo, Ribera, Claude Lorrain, and Guercino, among others. However, the most curious piece on display at the Teylers Museum is the one […]
Posted inGeography, Travel
The Pyramids of Euseigne: A Unique Geological Phenomenon in the Swiss Alps
The Pyramids of Euseigne, located in the Hérens Valley, are a unique geological phenomenon and one of the main natural attractions in the canton of Valais, Switzerland. These formations, rising majestically between 10 and 15 meters in height, are the result of glacial and erosion processes dating back to the last ice age, between 80,000 […]
Posted inClassical Archaeology
Roman Military Camp Found at an Altitude of Over 2,000 Meters in the Swiss Alps
Archaeologists have made a remarkable discovery high in the Swiss Alps: a Roman military camp located over 2,200 meters above sea level in the Colm la Runga area. This site, unknown until recently, offers new insights into Roman military strategy and the extent of Roman presence in the region over 2,000 years ago. The camp’s […]
Posted inIron Age Archaeology
What Happened to These 20 Celts 2000 Years Ago? Victims of a Tsunami or Human Sacrifice?
A mix of bones, skulls, and wooden beams recovered from a riverbed raises questions. What happened, and who were these individuals found there? The ruins of the Celtic bridge at Cornaux/Les Sauges and the twenty skeletons found nearby have been a subject of speculation since their discovery in 1965 during renovations of the Thielle Canal. […]
Posted inModern Era
Latin Monetary Union, the First Attempt to Create a Supranational Currency, which Operated until after World War I
We all remember the night of December 31, 2001, because at the stroke of midnight, we not only entered another year but also adopted a new currency, the euro, and some rushed to ATMs to see and touch the freshly printed bills from the European Central Bank. The idea of an international currency unification was […]
Posted inClassical Archaeology
Remains of Extensive Roman Settlement Found near Vindonissa Camp in Switzerland
In preparation for construction on a plot of land between Limmatstrasse and Vogelsangstrasse in Gebenstorf (in the canton of Aargau in Switzerland), archaeological excavation has uncovered Roman wall foundations and debris, along with other discoveries. This site, located about 2.2 kilometers from the ancient Roman legionary camp at Vindonissa, is slated to become a residential […]
Posted inStone Age Archaeology
Europe’s Oldest Plough Marks Discovered, Testifying the Use of Animals in Agriculture 7000 Years Ago
Researchers have made an archaeological discovery that changes our understanding of prehistoric agriculture in Europe. Excavations at the Anciens Arsenaux site in Sion, Switzerland, have revealed evidence that Neolithic farmers were using animal traction to pull plows from 5,100 to 4,700 years ago. This discovery predates by nearly a millennium what were previously the oldest […]
Posted inBronze Age Archaeology
Bronze Age settlement with pits full of “heat stones” discovered in Switzerland
On the eve of a construction project in Heimberg, the Archaeological Service of the Canton of Bern (Switzerland) conducted a salvage excavation in the autumn of 2023. While the investigation barely yielded new findings about a planned Roman site, it did reveal the remains of a previously unknown Bronze Age settlement. During the three-month investigation […]
