8 January 2023 - A FORMER ROMAN QUARRY in GERMANY

 

A FORMER 

ROMAN QUARRY

 in GERMANY

G'day folks,

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 massive 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 Bergstrasse- 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 massive 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.

11 December 2019 - THE ANTONINE WALL - A SCAR OF THE ROMANS

THE ANTONINE WALL

 - A SCAR OF THE ROMANS -

G'day folks,

Scotland still bears an enormous scar of its Roman past. 

 

An unusual line stretches across Scotland’s Central Belt. It may look like no more than a strange scar speckled with clusters of stone structures, but it’s actually a remnant from when the Romans invaded the British Isles.

 

  

It’s a commonly held misconception that the Romans never reached Scotland and that their endeavors to conquer the entire British Isles stopped at Hadrian’s Wall in England. But not only did the Romans reach Scotland, they also built a massive turf wall to keep the Scottish tribes out of their southern territory.

Under the orders of Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius, construction of this massive undertaking began in the year 142 and took 12 years to complete. The final work spans 39 miles from Old Kilpatrick on the Firth of Clyde to Carriden on the Firth of Forth. Bar Hill marks the highest point along the length of the wall at 250 meters (820 feet).

But after numerous attacks and greater problems at home in Rome, the wall was abandoned after only eight years. An attempt to re-establish occupation in 208 began with repairs to the wall, but ended only a few years later.

Time has not been kind to the abandoned wall, and much of the barrier and its forts have disappeared due to weathering and decay. However, what is left is protected and is now a UNESCO World Heritage site. Whether it’s a simple scar in the land or the foundations of an ancient bathhouse, all these ruins are worth exploring.

Clancy's comment: Mm ... I'd love to be sitting on a cloud, watching life,  just for a day during these times. 

I'm ...

 

 

 

 

22 December 2016 - HADRIAN'S WALL

HADRIAN'S WALL

G'day folks,

Hadrian's Wall, also called the Roman Wall, Picts' Wall, or Vallum Hadriani in Latin. It was a defensive fortification in the Roman province of Britannia, begun in 122 AD in the reign of the emperor Hadrian.

Built on the orders of the Roman Emperor Hadrian and located in Great Britain, Hadrian’s Wall was a defensive fortification that marked the northwest frontier of the Roman Empire for three centuries. The wall measured 73 miles in length and stretched from coast to coast across present-day northern England, between Wallsend in the east to Bowness-on-Solway in the west. Construction likely started around A.D. 122, after Hadrian visited the Roman province then known as Britannia, and it’s thought to have taken an army of 15,000 men at least six years to complete it. The majority of the wall was made from stone, although some portions were fabricated from turf. 

Small forts called milecastles were established at every Roman mile (the equivalent of .91 modern miles) along the wall, and two observation turrets were placed between each milecastle. Additionally, there were more than a dozen larger forts along the wall’s length where soldiers were stationed. An enormous earthwork consisting of a ditch flanked by parallel mounds, and now referred to as the Vallum, was created just south of the wall.

Hadrian served as emperor from 117 until his death in 138. Afterward, the new emperor, Antoninus Pius, erected a turf wall to the north of Hadrian’s Wall, in present-day Scotland. However, the so-called Antonine Wall, which also had a number of forts along its length, was deserted in the 160s and the Romans reoccupied Hadrian’s Wall. The forts along the wall likely were occupied until the end of Roman rule in Britain, in the early 5th century.

In the ensuing centuries, stones from Hadrian’s Wall were removed to build homes and roads; however, portions of the wall still survive. Today, a long-distance walking path follows the wall’s route across northern England.

 

Clancy's comment: Back then, people loved building walls. I guess they were the original landscapers?

I'm ...