The Cortaillod culture is one of several archaeologically defined cultures belonging to the

Neolithic The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several parts ...

period of

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

. The ''Cortaillod'' Culture in the west of the region is contemporary with the

Pfyn Culture The Pfyn Culture is one of several archaeological cultures of the Neolithic period in Switzerland. It dates from c. 3900 BC to c. 3500 BC. Discovery The oldest traces of a settlement are about west of Pfyn in the former peat bog of ''Breitenloo ...

in the east and dates from between 3900-3500 BC. The ''Classic Cortaillod'' Culture of the western Alpine foreland and the ''Early Cortaillod'' Culture of central Switzerland pre-date this at 4300-3900 BC. Evidence, such as higher frequencies of

dog The dog (''Canis familiaris'' or ''Canis lupus familiaris'') is a domesticated descendant of the wolf. Also called the domestic dog, it is derived from the extinct Pleistocene wolf, and the modern wolf is the dog's nearest living relative. Do ...

bones and pendants made from dog

metapodials Metapodials are long bones of the hand (metacarpals) and feet (metatarsal The metatarsal bones, or metatarsus, are a group of five long bones in the foot, located between the tarsal bones of the hind- and mid-foot and the phalanges of the toes ...

, suggests a special relationship between dog and man during the later part of this period in the western part and the early

Horgen culture The Horgen culture is one of several archaeological cultures belonging to the Neolithic period of Switzerland. The Horgen culture may derive from the Pfyn culture and early Horgen pottery is similar to the earlier Cortaillod culture pottery of ...

in the eastern part of the

Alpine Alpine may refer to any mountainous region. It may also refer to: Places Europe * Alps, a European mountain range ** Alpine states, which overlap with the European range Australia * Alpine, New South Wales, a Northern Village * Alpine National Pa ...

foreland.

Gallery

File:Latenium-1.jpg, Neolithic house reconstruction, Switzerland File:Laténium-maquette-village-laustre.jpg, Settlement model,

Laténium The Laténium is an archeology museum located in Hauterive, a suburb of Neuchâtel, Switzerland. Its name refers to the famous nearby site of La Tène which gave its name to the Second European Iron age. The Laténium is composed of a park an ...

museum File:Laténium-pointe-cristal.jpg, Crystal arrowhead File:Cortaillod gobelet IMG 6640.jpg, Cups made from antler

Sources

Schibler, J. 2006. The economy and environment of the 4th and 3rd millennia BC in the northern Alpine foreland based on studies of animal bones. ''Environmental Archaeology'' 11(1): 49-64 {{Authority control Archaeological cultures of Central Europe Archaeological cultures in Switzerland Neolithic cultures of Europe Cortaillod