Milestone Rimburg turns out to be building stone of a grave or sanctuary
Author: Harry Lindelauf
Photography: Wikimedia en RAAP
For years there was doubt, but now there is certainty. The well-known block of Nievelstein sandstone in Rimburg is not a milestone that stood along the Via Belgica. What it is: a large building stone from a grave monument or a sanctuary in Rimburg? This appears from research on the stone in Maastricht by Gerard Boreel, natural stone specialist at Aardewerk & Archeologie and affiliated with Utrecht University.
Parkstad archaeologist Hilde Vanneste revealed the results of the research on Thursday, May 2, 2024, during a lecture about Roman finds in Rimburg. The lecture is part of the program of Rimburg Graaft on May 25 and 26, 2024.
The research has provided clarification but at the same time created a new mystery. Because Boreel discovered small inscriptions in several places. They are so small or worn that it can no longer be determined what was written or how old the marks are.
Wolf hole
On the underground part of the “non”-milestone, scratches were found. These indicate that the stone was used at the gate of a farm as protection for the walls. A so-called “wolf hole” also appeared. This was used by the Romans to clamp an iron lifting eye into the stone.
During her lecture, Hilde Vanneste made a connection to the series of large pieces of natural stone that are now placed along the roadside near Rimburg Castle. These could also be Roman and originate from the same grave monument or sanctuary.
Where will the stone return?
It is possible that the remains of such a sanctuary were discovered in October 1944 by American soldiers. While digging a gun emplacement, they struck blocks of natural stone. Hilde Vanneste advocates research at the find spot, which lies on the plateau near the Lindegracht.
The question that now remains: where will the stone be placed? At the same spot where many visitors come to admire the “milestone,” or at another location in Rimburg? Hilde Vanneste called on the inhabitants of Rimburg to put forward ideas.
