A religious site

Thanks to diligent archaeologists, we know that the Bruchhauser Steine served people at least partly as a religious site some 2,300 years ago. But how do the researchers arrive at this? They discovered a rampart wall that surrounded the whole area around the Bruchhauser Steine almost like a ring. It was made of wood, stones and earth and was almost 3.5 metres high.

Notable archaeological finds

Exceptional metal objects were discovered inside this wall ring: an ornate bronze bangle was found at the Goldstein. It had apparently put down at this spot deliberately. A heavily damaged lance tip was also found. It was probably taken from the enemy, destroyed and buried after a victory. Symbolically, people “killed” the weapon, just as they had previously killed their opponent.

A constant view of the rocks

The location of the Bruchhauser Steine at the very top of the Istenberg also suggests a religious use, as the rocks are visible from many kilometres away. Thousands of years ago even better than today, since at that time no forest grew around the rocks, but the terrain was only covered with low grasses and bushes. Through archaeological finds and excavations to the south and southwest of the Bruchhauser Steine, it also became clear that farms and small villages were also aligned with them in a line of sight. Accordingly, people always had a view of the Bruchhauser Steine from the time they got up until the time they went to bed. It must have been a special, important and significant place for them.

Caption
Why did people build a wall structure of over 1,200 metres of length?
Lance tip – 2020 find by Matthias Dickhaus
Hollow bump bangle – 2013 find by Wolfgang Poguntke