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Ofnet Caves

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Cave

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Ofnet Caves

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Ofnet caves and villa rustica


The Ofnet Caves (German: Ofnethöhlen) are the remains of an underground karst system on the edge of the Nördlinger Ries in Germany. They are located on a limestone hill near Nördlingen, Bavaria. The caves became famous in 1908 when 33 prehistoric human skulls were discovered. The skulls were dated to the Mesolithic period.

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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

Ofnet Caves Wikipedia


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