Borders have existed since the Neolithic period, i.e. for around 8,000 years. At that time, the first people came up with the idea of clearing a piece of land of stones and weeds and creating a field on it. The field was bordered by a ditch, a hedge or stones.
They also marked the first borders to protect their fields.
Since stones are more durable and easier to maintain than hedges, they soon became a common
marker for larger areas such as fields and boundaries.
The boundary stones are numbered consecutively. The line on the top indicates the course of the border. For greater security, so-called witness stones are placed under the boundary stones.
The unauthorized relocation of such boundary stones was tantamount to theft and was punished accordingly severely. The location of the boundary stones was regularly checked by means of a border inspection, also known as a border walk, Schnadegang or Flurumgang.
Many boundary stones have been preserved and the corresponding field names can tell us stories from times gone by.
Sources:
Exhibition 'Rutesheim's path through time', 2017
Rutesheim: Heimatbuch, 1970
Wikipedia