The Local Switzerland

In Pictures: 18th-century tunnel discovered in Geneva

Fri, 25 Oct 2019 12:00:21 +0200

The 30-metre-long underground passage dating from the early 18th century was part of the old fortifications surrounding the city-state.

Extremely rare baby boot from Middle Ages found in Switzerland

Thu, 28 Mar 2019 21:12:30 +0100

Archaeologists in the Swiss canton of Jura have unearthed a stunning fragment of a baby boot dating from the second half of the 14th century.

Ancient Roman fridge discovered near Basel keeps beer cool for months

Fri, 06 Jul 2018 11:39:16 +0200

Swiss archaeologists studying mysterious shafts unearthed at the Roman site of Augusta Raurica have successfully demonstrated that they can store beer on ice for at least three months, adding weight to their hypothesis that the four-metre pits were designed as ancient refrigerators.

5,000-year-old dolmen discovered during construction of Swiss garage

Thu, 28 Jun 2018 17:45:16 +0200

Archaeologists in the canton of Valais have discovered a 5,000-year dolmen, or megalithic tomb, during construction of an underground garage, cantonal authorities said on Thursday.

Swiss researchers try to get ancient Roman fridge working (again)

Tue, 03 Apr 2018 12:37:44 +0200

Archaeologists near the Swiss city of Basel are trying to definitively establish if mysterious shafts discovered at Switzerland’s extensive Augusta Raurica site in 2013 could have been ancient refrigerators.

Prehistoric menhir found near Bern

Tue, 24 Oct 2017 12:03:27 +0200

Archaeologists in the canton of Bern have discovered a large stone that they believe to be a menhir that would have been part of a place of worship during the Bronze Age.

Bronze Age equipment found on Swiss mountain pass

Wed, 04 Oct 2017 11:39:29 +0200

Flint arrowheads and leather fragments are among the 4,000 year-old items uncovered by archaeologists on the Lötschberg pass in the canton of Bern in September.

Medieval church and skeletons unearthed in Lucerne city centre

Tue, 15 Aug 2017 12:36:27 +0200

Archaeologists have discovered human bones and the remains of a church belonging to a medieval hospital in the Old Town of central Swiss city Lucerne.

Archaeologists find 7,000-year-old human remains in Swiss city

Fri, 23 Jun 2017 11:16:02 +0200

The remains of ancient villages dating back to 5,500BC have been discovered on a construction site in Sion in the Valais.

Mysterious Roman remains uncovered in Swiss town

Tue, 15 Nov 2016 11:06:23 +0100

Archaeologists are puzzled over the discovery of a Roman-era earthenware pot filled with oil lamps and bronze coins in the commune of Windisch, in the northern Swiss canton of Aargau.

Sion’s deathly history brought to life in new exhibition

Wed, 13 Apr 2016 13:26:18 +0200

Visitors to Sion will be able to explore the history of funeral rites in Switzerland over the past 7,000 years in a series of exhibitions and events starting this spring.

Switzerland returns looted Etruscan treasures to Italy

Thu, 14 Jan 2016 17:18:35 +0100

Switzerland has returned to Italy 45 boxes of ancient Etruscan art stolen during illegal excavations and stashed away for more than 15 years, including two rare sarcophaguses, authorities said on Thursday.

Ancient mammoth remains found in Zug

Sat, 08 Aug 2015 14:24:49 +0200

Mammoth remains that could be around 20,000 years old have been discovered at a building site in central Switzerland, a local official said on Friday.

Swiss to give Greeks back BC-era silver coin

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 09:47:00 +0100

Athens has asked Switzerland to return a 480 BC silver coin sold in a Zurich auction for €80,000 ($102,000), a newspaper reported on Monday.

Swiss team finds 3,000-year-old singer's tomb

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 09:59:00 +0100

Swiss archaeologists have discovered the tomb of a female singer dating back almost 3,000 years in Egypt's Valley of the Kings, Antiquities Minister Mohammed Ibrahim said on Sunday.

Swiss return ancient mummies to Chile

Wed, 09 Mar 2011 10:51:00 +0100

Four pre-Columbian mummies, including two Chinchorro mummies cast as the oldest in the world, have been returned to Chile from a private collection in Switzerland.