History of Bern - Early History

Early History

The earliest evidence of human settlements in the Aare valley dates back to the Neolithic period. However, the earliest known settlement in the area of the city of Bern was on the Engehalbinsel to the north of the later city. This late La Tène culture settlement was founded around 300 to 200 BCE and fortified in the 2nd century BCE. It is thought to have been one of the twelve oppida of the Helvetii mentioned by Caesar. In addition to the Engehalbinsel there were La Tène settlements in the Breitenrain, Kirchenfeld and Mattenhof districts as well as at Bümpliz, now a city district of Bern, some 4 km (2.5 mi) from the medieval city.

After the Roman conquest, a small Gallo-Roman settlement, a vicus, was re-founded at the same place. To the south of the vicus lay the burial ground with over 160 graves (some from the La Tène period). The vicus had a small amphitheater, a temple district with three small Gallo-Roman temples, several private buildings with attached workshops and at the northern end, a bathing facility. The main road led from the Vicus westward to Aventicum. The only other nearby Roman settlements were three farms, one near the Vicus, one in Haspelmatte and a widely spread farming complex in Bümpliz during the 2nd and 3rd century AD. The vicus at Engehalbinsel was abandoned between AD 165 and 211.

Even after the fall of the Roman Empire, scattered settlements remained in the area around what is now Bern. A large graveyard, with over 300 graves, was in use during the 6th and 7th centuries on the southern edge of the Bremgarten woods. Other graveyards from the 7th century have been found in Weissenbühl and on the Rosenbühl hill. In the Early Middle Ages, there was a settlement with a church in Bümpliz' during the 7th to 10th centuries. In the 9th or 10th century a Burgundian Königshof (“castle”) with wooden fortifications was built near the settlement. However, no archaeological evidence indicating a settlement on the site of the old town of today′s city prior to the 12th century have been found so far.