CAVE DWELLINGS FEWKES, 623 



Regarding the origin and purpose of ttiese Heidenlocher there is not the least 

 historical information. No one knows who built them or lived in them, how 

 old they are, nor the purpose for which they were built. No chronicle nor 

 historical record contains a single mention of them. Nothing has ever been 

 found in the caves themselves which would aid in explaining them. In the 

 family Beurer at Brunnensbach there figured for centuries as an heirloom a 

 rare stone image which was found in the Heidenlocher — a large piece of quartz, 

 in form similar to a sitting man. This was perhaps of Celtic origin, for similar 

 figures are frequently found in Gaelic graves; or, as others think, it may have 

 represented " Godfather with the globe," pointing to the former use of the 

 Heidenlocher by Christians. * * * The results of the various theories may 

 be summed up as follows : Our Heidenlocher were originally but few, simply 

 caves dug in the rock ; they were in time enlarged, multiplied, improved, and 

 embellished, and lastly treated with a sense of art. The small and simple ones 

 are the oldest; they were the dwellings of the inhabitants of our region, first 

 of the Celts, then the Suevians, the Romans, and lastly the Allemanni. The 

 name Heidenlocher must be ascribed to the Romans. 



The modern history of these heathen caves is interesting. 



As early as 1760 the city council of Ueberlingen ordered the destruction of 

 the major ix)rtion of these caves because of their general use by low tramps 

 and vagabonds. 



When in 1846 to 1848 the new road was built between Ueberlingen and Lud- 

 wigshafen, a large portion of the Heidenlocher cut in the cliff bordering on the 

 lake was sacrificed. There are now only seven caves left of the former large 

 number; they are visited annually by many toui'ists and are well cared for 

 by the city as interesting relics of ancient times. 



Joseph V, Scheffel has chosen these caves as scenes for some of the 

 incidents of Ekkehard, an interesting story laid in the tenth century. 



We must not overlook in our studies underground dwellings in 

 England or such structures as the chambered mound at New Grange 

 in Ireland, which may be described as roofed subterranean chambers, 

 counterparts of which are found in other parts of the world. Rooms 

 of this kind somewhat different in structure appear in the megalithic 

 underground habitations, " weems " or " Picts' houses " of Scotland, 

 and the Hebrides, the pit dwellings of Jesso, the subterranean rooms 

 of the California Indians, and the " pit rooms " in southern Arizona. 

 Spain has many artificial caves that were once inhabited, and those 

 in full sight of the Alhambra in Grenada are still used by Spanish 

 gypsies. Some of the Andalusian caves figured and described by 

 Sr. Gongora, in his valuable memoir, Antiguedades Prehistoricas de 

 Andalusia, closely resemble those of the southwestern part of the 

 United States. Many accounts might be quoted in which the 

 Etruscan caves, largely mortuary, are described. The remains found 

 in caves along the Riviera, as those near Montone, have been de- 

 scribed by several archaeologists. 



To enumerate all varieties of artificial caves, pit dwellings, and 

 related forms of cliff dwellings would take me many hours — even 

 a list of geographical locations where they occur would be of con- 



