This natural “sea of stones” was once used by the Romans as a quarry.

Despite often looking like a scree slope of very large stones, this Felsenmeer (or Blockfield) has a unique history.

.

These stones did not come from the mountain but were generated by a weathering process that occurred below the ground. As the surface began to erode, these mᴀssive rocks were exposed. The most popular theory behind their creation is that they are the result of frost weathering, however, it has also been suggested that subsurface chemical weathering played a role. This Felsenmeer is one of the most gorgeous in Germany. It’s part of the Geo-Nature Park Bergstrᴀsse- Odenwald, just south of Darmstadt.

After being exposed, the rocks were significantly modified by glaciation processes around 10,000 years ago. This occurred across several Ice Ages and gave the rocks their round shape.

Romans occupied this part of Germany during the 3rd and 4th-century CE. There is evidence of stone masonry across the rocks when they utilized the Felsenmeer as a quarry.

A number of both naturally formed and modified stones have been given specific names such as the”Altar Stone” and the amazing, yet very natural, “Crocodile.” A major attraction at the site is a mᴀssive column intended for a Roman temple but, for some reason, was never removed from the site.

This amazing natural phenomenon is located in a lovely wooded glade on the slopes of a hill known as Feldberg.

Related Posts

Early 20th-Century Archaeologists and the Ritual Stone Monument

The engraved monolith depicting a multi-armed anthropomorphic figure and surrounding symbols, shown in the vintage pH๏τograph, is believed to date from the early 20th-century era of European…

THE “STONE HAND” ON THE MOUNTAIN SLOPE: AN ARCHAEOLOGICAL HYPOTHESIS OF A UNIQUE ARTIFACT

The stone formation resembling a “giant hand” on the mountainside was first documented between 2021 and 2022 by a local survey team conducting stratigraphic measurements in a…

THE GRANITE HÓRREO OF GALICIA: AN ARCHAEOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE

The stone structure depicted in the image is an exceptional example of a Galician hórreo, a raised granary commonly found in northwestern Spain, particularly the autonomous region…

Uncovering a Grim Chapter at Jamestown: Evidence of Cannibalism Among the First English Settlers

In the heart of what would become the United States, the story of Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement, has long been etched into history. Founded in…

UNAKOTI: THE MOUNTAIN OF LOST FACES – A CROSS-CULTURAL ARCHAEOLOGICAL STUDY

Rising from the dense forests of Tripura in Northeast India, Unakoti stands as one of the most astonishing archaeological landscapes of early medieval South Asia, with its…

The Rainbow Quarry: Siberia’s Amphitheater of Stone and Color

In the deep, silent heart of the Siberian taiga, a wound in the earth has become a masterpiece. This is not a volcano, but the Krasnoyarsk “Rainbow…