ABSTRACT
Unlike the relatively continuous Swiss research on lake-dwellings, settlement of Neolithic and Bronze Age wetland communities on the lakes and fens of southwestern Germany has been investigated in three clearly defined stages. Between them lie the two World Wars and several quiet decades. The first two stages have already been widely studied (Kimmig 1981; Smolla 1981; Schöbel 1996; Strobel 2000). An introductory overview will allow us to address crucial questions about these stages, which leads to the current research.
