<< Our Photo Pages >> Niederdollendorfer Bilderstein - Sculptured Stone in Germany in North Rhine-Westphalia
Submitted by Harald_Platta on Wednesday, 06 May 2015 Page Views: 3602
Early Medieval (Dark Age)Site Name: Niederdollendorfer BildersteinCountry: Germany
NOTE: This site is 2.021 km away from the location you searched for.
Land: North Rhine-Westphalia Type: Sculptured Stone
Nearest Town: Königswinter
Latitude: 50.698602N Longitude: 7.177204E
Condition:
5 | Perfect |
4 | Almost Perfect |
3 | Reasonable but with some damage |
2 | Ruined but still recognisable as an ancient site |
1 | Pretty much destroyed, possibly visible as crop marks |
0 | No data. |
-1 | Completely destroyed |
5 | Superb |
4 | Good |
3 | Ordinary |
2 | Not Good |
1 | Awful |
0 | No data. |
5 | Can be driven to, probably with disabled access |
4 | Short walk on a footpath |
3 | Requiring a bit more of a walk |
2 | A long walk |
1 | In the middle of nowhere, a nightmare to find |
0 | No data. |
5 | co-ordinates taken by GPS or official recorded co-ordinates |
4 | co-ordinates scaled from a detailed map |
3 | co-ordinates scaled from a bad map |
2 | co-ordinates of the nearest village |
1 | co-ordinates of the nearest town |
0 | no data |
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It was found in Niederdollendorf (Königswinter, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany) during railway construction works in 1901. The interpretation of the figures and ornamentations is still a matter of debate. It is also not clear, if the stone displays pagan and christian themes or if it is entirely of pagan origin. The stone was part of a Frankish cemetery of the 6th or 7th century AD, but it could be even older. The cemetery stems probably from the transition time between paganism and christianity, because the graves can not clearly be categorized. The Niederdollendorfer Bilderstein did not function as a gravestone. Instead itself was found in an otherwise empty grave.
The front side most likely shows a Germanic warrior. His left hand is lying on the Frankish short sword, while he holds a comb in his right hand. He wears a long-sleeved pant-like garment. A canteen near his his right leg is shown. The right hand and the left shoulder are touched by a two-headed snake, while a similar animal with opened mouth is seen near the sword.
The back side also shows a figure. The head is surrounded by an aureole. The figure carries a circle on its chest and holds a lance in the right hand. The background displays triangles and rhombi. The interpretation of this mysterious figure has led to different results. It has been proposed to represent a "transfigured warrior in the hereafter", a "light deity" or an early version of "Christ in the glory".
The right side shows two intertwined snakes, that are linked at their tails.
The left side displays one large and in three superimposed standing portals.
The top exhibits squares with diagonal and crossed lines and a circle in the middle. The crossed lines do not necessarily have to have a christian meaning. They could also be related to the "year division" rune.
The riddle of the Niederdollendorfer Bilderstein is still not solved. It is a unique artefact, but this also means the there are no other examples to compare it to.
The stone has been moved from the site of discovery (see coordinates at the top of the page) to the LVR Rheinisches LandesMuseum Bonn.
Literature:
[01] Ruhr Museum (Hrsg.): Werdendes Ruhrgebiet. Spätantike und Frühmittelalter an Rhein und Ruhr (2015).
[02] Zehnder, G. (Hrsg.): 100 Bilder und Objekte. Archäologie und Kunst im Rheinischen Landesmuseum Bonn (1999).
[03] Brast, W.: Der Bildstein von Niederdollendorf. In: Festschrift zum Hundertjährigen Bestehen der Berliner Gesellschaft für Anthropologie, Ethnologie und Urgeschichte 1869-1969, Zweiter Teil: Fachwissenschaftliche Beiträge (1970).
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