The runic inscription found in the Kleines Schulerloch cave, Altmühltal

Altmühltal

Altmühltal is a Verwaltungsgemeinschaft in the district of Weißenburg-Gunzenhausen in Bavaria in Germany. It consists of the following municipalities:*Alesheim*Dittenheim*Markt Berolzheim*Meinheim-See also:...

, near Essing

Essing

Essing is a municipality in the district of Kelheim in Bavaria in Germany....

, Bavaria

Bavaria

Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...

 was discovered in 1937. It reads

birg : leub : selbrade,

probably meaning "Birg, beloved of Selbrad", next to a drawing of an ibex or stag. From the 1950s the inscription had been considered a hoax

Hoax

A hoax is a deliberately fabricated falsehood made to masquerade as truth. It is distinguishable from errors in observation or judgment, or rumors, urban legends, pseudosciences or April Fools' Day events that are passed along in good faith by believers or as jokes.-Definition:The British...

 by many scholars. However, the discovery of a parallel inscription in grave 172 of the "Unterer Stollen" cemetery in Bad Krozingen

Bad Krozingen

Bad Krozingen is a spa town in the district Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated 15 km southwest of Freiburg....

 in 2001, reading

boba : leub | agirike

has revived discussions regarding the authenticity of the Kleines Schulerloch inscription.

External links

• Die Eiszeitzeichnung vom kleinen Schulerloch (photo of inscription)