Despite the scarcity of burials, the information provided by the world of the dead gives us access to the individual and his or her identity through the evolution of costume and finery. A break in the occupation of funerary sites occurred during the first half of the 11th century BCC, with the return of cremation; as for settlements, a bipartition of the Swiss Plateau is highlighted by archaeology, but we must be careful not to equate such changes in funerary practices with de facto breaks in settlement (even if we would have liked to see archaeological confirmation of certain ancient sources evoking the "arrival" of Helvetians on the Swiss Plateau from southern Germany...).
As for the cultural sphere in the broadest sense, new research and discoveries are adding to a growing body of evidence: the site of La Tène, on the banks of the Thielle at the eastern end of Lake Neuchâtel, whose 150th anniversary was celebrated in November 2007, played an eminent role (along with Alesia and Bibracte) in defining the Second Iron Age that bears its name. Following in the footsteps of sanctuaries in Belgian Gaul (primarily Gournay-sur-Aronde), La Tène is now interpreted as a sacred site where war trophies were displayed at the end of the 2nd century BC, as well as a whole procession of ornaments and domestic objects, which are currently being inventoried (over 4,000 objects) and analyzed. Horse skulls stuck on spikes, human skulls bearing the marks of blows and peri-mortem manipulations complete the scene. The exceptional site on the summit of the Mormont hill, between the Jura mountains and Lake Geneva, was uncovered in summer 2006 (the excavation is not yet complete): some 300 pits, veritable offering pits set deep into the substratum, yielded dozens of sacrificed animals, tipped headfirst into the pits, or cut into quarters. Around thirty human skeletons, some buried crouched in chests (as at Acy-Romance in Picardy), others bearing traces of cutting or emaciation, share the collections of animal bones and archaeological furniture interpreted as offerings. Among the objects of adornment (fibulae, glass beads, etc.), the numerous metal and ceramic vessels, the agricultural or craftsmen's tools and other grain grinders (nearly a hundred), no trace of weaponry! What event(s), what fervor, could justify sacrifices on such a scale, one or two generations before the Gallic War (when the Cimbres and Teutons were raiding the area)? Which deity or deities were honored? Chthonic? Of fertility? Difficult to answer in the absence of historical sources.
