Kriemhildenstuhl

The Kriemhildenstuhl is an old Roman quarry, which was worked by the 22nd Legion of the Roman Army, who were stationed in Mogontiacum (Mainz) around 200 AD. Immediately above the quarry is the Heidenmauer, a 26 hectare fortified Celtic settlement from the late Hallstatt era. The Brunhildisstuhl a little below the Kriemhildenstuhl was probably another a Roman quarry. Other old Roman quarries in the vicinity are found in the Kallstadter Tälchen valley and on the Weilerskopf.

In the Middle Ages the quarry was erroneously linked to the Burgundians. As a result of excavations in the second half of the 20th century, new information surfaced about the technology and worker organisation of the Romans and brought new inscriptions to light. Because the lower levels of the quarry filled up with waste material during the quarrying operations, the traces of Roman tools and inscriptions and drawings here were very well preserved. There are drawings of horses, which may be the symbol of the unit working here, as well as drawings of men, phalli and vulvas. Whether the sexual symbols were aspects of a pagan cult or more like present-day toilet graffiti is difficult to determine.The wheel symbols and swastikas could be religious symbols or just workers' marks.

References:

• Wikipedia

Address

Sonnenwendstraße 52, Bad Dürkheim, Germany

Details

Founded: 200 AD
Category: Prehistoric and archaeological sites in Germany
Historical period: Germanic Tribes (Germany)