During a routine construction project in the small village in Germany’s Klotzow, in the Vorpommern-Greifswald district, a 12th-century boulder with a carved depiction of a man was unearthed. This very surprising discovery is being hailed as one of the most extraordinary finds in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in recent years. The 900-year-old picture stone, a type of decorative slab commonly used in the Viking or Germanic periods, has an engraved image of a figure holding a cross over its midsection – likely, Bishop Otto von Bamberg, who was greatly involved in the Christianization of Pomeria. Unearthing the Ancient Stone The ancient stone was stumbled upon by Peter Wittenberg while he was digging around the foundation of his home near Anklam. The granite slab unearthed stands about one meter (3.28 feet) tall, 60 centimeters (1.96 feet) wide, and 40 centimeters (1.31 feet) deep. Picture stones, also known as image stones, were typically made from limestone and raised as memorials in Scandinavia during the Viking Age, according to a press release by Ministry of Science, Culture, Federal and European Affairs. Read moreSection: ArtifactsOther ArtifactsNewsHistory & ArchaeologyRead Later