Stone Age in Switzerland

The earliest traces of human presence in what is now Switzerland date back to 300,000 years ago, when Homo erectus crafted a hand axe found in Pratteln. Later, Neanderthals also inhabited the area, with evidence from the Grotte de Cotencher in Neuchâtel around 70,000 years ago and the caves of Wildkirchli in the Appenzell Alps approximately 40,000 years ago. Anatomically modern humans arrived in Central Europe about 30,000 years ago, but much of Switzerland was covered by glaciers during the Last Glacial Maximum. Only the northern regions, like the High Rhine and parts of the Aar basin, remained ice-free, though they were under permafrost.

As the glaciers retreated, human habitation became more prominent during the Mesolithic period, around 10,000 years ago, with settlements like Wetzikon-Robenhausen on the Swiss Plateau. By 9,000 BCE, artifacts such as the Venus of Monruz reflect cultural development during the early post-glacial era. 

The Neolithic period, beginning around the 6th millennium BCE, saw the spread of the Linear Pottery culture in the region. Archeological remains indicate that this era brought relatively dense populations, evidenced by the numerous pile dwellings built along lake shores. Cultures like Cortaillod, Pfyn, and Horgen thrived, leaving behind artifacts like those discovered at Schnidejoch, dated to the 5th millennium BCE. 

The transition to the Bronze Age was marked by the Bell Beaker culture, which followed the Copper Age. This period reflects increasing regional connections, with Ötzi the Iceman—found near the Swiss border—illustrating the shared cultural traits of Alpine communities around the late 4th millennium BCE. These early developments laid the foundations for later settlement and cultural growth in prehistoric Switzerland.