These sites were originally underwater, but were discovered when the water level of Lake Neuchâtel dropped.

The list of objects excavated on this occasion is impressive: thousands of flints and awls made of bone, 3,000 ax shafts, and about 2,000 smaller axes and hatchets.

[3] Ferdinand Keller and Frederic Troyon reported the discovery of lake shore settlements from the Late Bronze Age (1250-800 BC) in 1858.

Friedrich Schwab and Edouard Desor's archeological excavations found many bronze items.

One of the most striking items, a wheel spoke made of bronze and oak wood with a diameter of 51 cm (20 in), was discovered in 1862.

Other finds included axes, sickles and needles as well as bronze swords and hundreds of vases.

At his request, the Army made a series of aerial photographs in 1927, which provided a number of fundamental insights into these villages from the Bronze Age.

The village of Cortaillod Les Esserts was surrounded by a 120 m (390 ft) long, three layer palisade.

Cortaillod Les Esserts was inhabited between 870 and 850 BC and had an area of between 15,000–18,000 square metres (3.7–4.4 acres).

An excavation at Champ Basset in 1996 discovered a circular pit 4 m (13 ft) in diameter.

This pit contained 27 kg (60 lb) of very well preserved pottery from the Hallstatt period.

Other sites in Cortaillod include postholes, burials, hearths and pottery at Tolay, in Champ Barrett, Rochettes in Chanélaz and at Tilles as well as a number of tombs from the La Tène period at Courbes Rayes.

[3] Part of Cortaillod was given in 1311 to Peter Stäffis, Lord of Gorgier as a result of an exchange that he made with Count Rudolph IV of Neuchâtel.

The municipal community consisted of citizens of Boudry (who were under the Lord of Gorgier) and also subjects of the priory of Bevaix.

There was only a civil court in Cortaillod, criminal cases were heard by one of the feudal lords.

In 1499 Philip of Hochberg, Count of Neuchatel, allowed them the right to farm the sandy shoreline.

The disputes were over the division of the common pastures and forests and a special tax (Eminem de la porte), which had to be paid by the residents of Cortaillod but only benefited Boudry.

Until 1524 the pastor of Pontareuse and Bevaix protested against the permanent presence of a priest in Cortaillod.

The European manufacturing and technology center of Silicon Graphics settled in Cortaillod in 1992.

Viticulture remains a significant part of the local economy, and the wines of Cortaillod enjoy a good reputation.

The proposed merger of the municipalities of Bevaix, Boudry and Cortaillod was rejected by the residents.

[6] The blazon of the municipal coat of arms is Vert, a Cross patte Argent ensigned with a Crescent increscent Or.

[10] Most of the population (as of 2000[update]) speaks French (3,800 or 86.9%) as their first language, German is the second most common (171 or 3.9%) and Italian is the third (122 or 2.8%).

[10] The historical population is given in the following chart:[3][14] The La Fabrique Neuve and the prehistoric lake shore settlement of Le Petit Cortaillod are listed as Swiss heritage site of national significance.

In the tertiary sector; 231 or 41.0% were in wholesale or retail sales or the repair of motor vehicles, 33 or 5.9% were in the movement and storage of goods, 70 or 12.4% were in a hotel or restaurant, 37 or 6.6% were in the information industry, 4 or 0.7% were the insurance or financial industry, 60 or 10.7% were technical professionals or scientists, 22 or 3.9% were in education and 53 or 9.4% were in health care.

[10] From the 2000 census[update], 1,364 or 31.2% were Roman Catholic, while 1,584 or 36.2% belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church.