The Long Stone (Einselthum)
| The Long Stone (Einselthum) | |||
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 Einselthum, the "Long Stone". View from the west. |
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| Coordinates | 49 ° 39 '34.7 " N , 8 ° 8' 7.7" E | ||
| place | Einselthum , Rhineland-Palatinate , Germany | ||
The Lange Stein is a menhir in Einselthum in the Donnersbergkreis in Rhineland-Palatinate .
Location and description
The long stone is located northwest of Einselthum on a field just below the highest point of an elevation. He gave the surrounding corridor “Am Langen Stein” its name.
The menhir is made of local limestone ; the nearest deposit is only half a mile away and is just below the surface. It has a height of 160 cm, a width of 140 cm and a depth of 55 cm. The narrow sides are oriented approximately north-south. The stone is plate-shaped and strongly rounded in the upper area. Its surface is badly weathered and has numerous holes. A particularly large hole about two thirds of its height goes from one broad side to the other. The southern narrow side has a deep furrow.
The stone was first mentioned in a document in 1071. This is the first written mention of a menhir in the world. In 1960 an archaeological investigation of the menhir and its surroundings took place. It was found that the foot of the long stone stuck in the earth is quite smooth. So it was not exposed to the weather for long before it was set up. Three special findings came to light around the stone: to the northeast a pit with remains of fire, to the southwest a stone pavement with traces of fire and to the southeast several limestone blocks that probably belonged to a burial chamber . Since no finds were made inside the chamber, it was referred to as a cenotaph (sham grave). The only finds from the area around the menhir were fragments of the Rössen culture . Overall, the ensemble of findings bears an astonishing resemblance to the menhir of Benzingerode in Saxony-Anhalt , around which a fire pit, stone pavement and an empty stone packing grave are also arranged.
The long stone in regional legends
There are several legends about the menhir : A count or general von Langenstein, who was killed in a battle nearby, is said to be buried under it. There are also legends that connect the stone with the Thirty Years War , with robber barons and with the French occupation of the Palatinate .
literature
- Gerhard Bosinski : The long stone near Einselthum (Palatinate). A menhir of the Rössen culture? In: Germania. Volume 39, 1961, pp. 171-185.
- Otto Gödel: Menhirs, witnesses of cult, border and legal customs in the Palatinate, Rheinhessen and the Saar area. Speyer 1987, p. 66ff.
- Gisela Graichen: The cult place book. A guide to old sacrificial sites, shrines and places of worship in Germany. Hamburg 1990, p. 291.
- Johannes Groht: Menhirs in Germany. State Office for Monument Preservation and Archeology Saxony-Anhalt, Halle (Saale) 2013, ISBN 978-3-943904-18-5 , pp. 13, 280–282, 328.
- Detert Zylmann: The riddle of the menhirs. Probst, Mainz-Kostheim 2003, ISBN 978-3936326079 , p. 104.