The Ofnet Caves (german: Ofnethöhlen) are the remains of an underground
karst
Karst is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone, dolomite, and gypsum. It is characterized by underground drainage systems with sinkholes and caves. It has also been documented for more weathering-resistant ro ...
system on the edge of the
Nördlinger Ries in
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
. They are located on a limestone hill near
Nördlingen
Nördlingen (; Swabian: ''Nearle'' or ''Nearleng'') is a town in the Donau-Ries district, in Swabia, Bavaria, Germany, with a population of approximately 20,674. It is located approximately east of Stuttgart, and northwest of Munich. It was bui ...
, Bavaria. The caves became famous in 1908 when 33 prehistoric human skulls were discovered. The skulls were dated to the
Mesolithic
The Mesolithic (Greek: μέσος, ''mesos'' 'middle' + λίθος, ''lithos'' 'stone') or Middle Stone Age is the Old World archaeological period between the Upper Paleolithic and the Neolithic. The term Epipaleolithic is often used synonymous ...
period.
Description
There are two caves (or rock shelters) called the Grosse and Kleine Ofnet (Large and Small Ofnet).
In the Grosse Ofnet in 1908 archaeologist
R. R. Schmidt found two dish-shaped pits in which human skulls were lying "like eggs in flat baskets".
In the larger pit were 27 skulls and in the other there were 6 skulls.
The skulls were arranged concentrically with their faces turned towards the setting sun.
They were all covered with a thick layer of
red ochre.
The skulls have been dated to the 7th millennium BC.
References
External links
{{Authority control
Landforms of Bavaria
Caves of Germany
Archaeological sites in Germany
Nördlingen