The Laubenheim Stone (Stein)

Over the past year or two, with various readings....I've come to note that there are more Stonehenges out there, and of various shapes.  So I did my research, and found one site within ten miles of where I currently live.

The site?  The Laubenheim Stein (stone).  About 2km south of Laubenheim (a town east of Mainz).  The best that locals can say is that they know it was there in the 1700s, and noticed then.  The gut feeling by some experts is that it's been around for roughly 4,500 years.  What they tend to say, without much proof.....is that it was a 'marker', and used for something (just don't know what).

I came to the site yesterday.  The rock is firmly in the ground.....about five foot tall....with at least three additional feet in the Earth (maybe more).  I'd guess weight at 5,000 pounds.  As you stand there and take a 360 degree turn....it's prime farming territory.  The hillside to the south is about a mile away, and probably has supported grape crops for several thousand years.

How to get to it?  It's not exactly marked or noted much in tourist stuff.  The coordinates are Latitude: 49.948075N Longitude: 8.317752E.  My advice is to go by train and exit at the station.....on the river-side of the station, and  head south along what is a paved street.  About six hundred feet down, take a left turn and go another six hundred feet by a number of houses, then you come to a t-section walk path (over a creek), and turn right.  From here, it's a twenty minute walk, and it'll be on your left.  You'd best Google the coordinates and carry a map because it's not exactly in plain view.

As for purpose?  Well.....I'm of the mind that years and years ago (probably 4,000 years ago).....James the Elder was a farmer and having bad luck at picking the seasons and when to max out on growth.  His son, James the Younger.....sat around and did a bit of pondering.

Eventually, James the Younger came up with this idea of the moons, rotation of the Earth,  and understanding there are 365 days in a year.  He puts up this big chunk of rock with the help of his buddies and over a year or two.....proves all this science stuff.

James the Younger comes to dad, and says he can predict the exact day to plant and the precise day to harvest.  James the Elder is skeptical, but agrees to try the son's idea.  He is shocked at the results.

Word gets out about this season prediction stuff, and James the Younger is consulted almost weekly.

For years and years.....even as James the Elder passes on....James the Younger is a legend.  Then one day, a bull stomps James the Younger down, and he's buried.  Sadly, all this fancy technology stuff was never passed on, and within a week....everyone is kicking themselves because they've got no one smart enough to make this prediction business.

So the rock stands today.  It ought to be a monument to some smart kid who figured the seasons, but instead, it's for a guy who just didn't write down any notes or pass along knowledge.

Just my humble opinion.  So if you have an afternoon, Laubenheim Stein is worth maybe two hours of visiting.  There's a pub or two in town, and you might want to stop in and chill after a good one-hour walk in the country.