Switzerland in the Roman era after which the area began to be occupied by Germanic peoples. The Swiss plateau, within the natural borders of the Alps to the South and East, Lake Geneva and the Rhône to the west and the Rhine to the north, was recognized as a contiguous territory by Julius Caesar. This area had been dominated by the La Tène culture since the 5th century BC, settled by a mostly Celtic population (Gauls), of which the Helvetii were the most numerous, but which also included the Rauraci in north-west Switzerland centered on Basel, and the Allobroges around Geneva. South of the Swiss
Muota (river) Muota (river) The Muota is a river in the Swiss canton of Schwyz and a tributary of Lake Lucerne. It has a length of . The Muota rises on the Ruosalp, an alp to the north of the Glatten on the border between the cantons of Schwyz and Uri. Initially, it flows in a northerly direction through the tiny Bisistal before turning west to the villages of Muotathal and Ried. Beyond Ried, the river flows through a narrow defile between the Gibelhorn and Stooshorn, passing under the Stoosbahn funicular that serves the mountain resort of Stoos, as it does so.