The sad reality behind hunger stones. #history

[MrKoobuh]

These and the tsunami markers in Japan are haunting reminders of how our ancestors suffered and still wished to pass warnings to posterity.

[fifty]

I never heard about these before, but after reading more about them, I really liked this quote on a rock near Bleckede in Germany:
“When this goes under, life will become more colourful again.”

[RHCole]

I love how we as a species figured out how to warn future generations without the invention of the printing press.

[MGMG-lcfe]

There is a considerable amount of time and care in the inscriptions, that in my eyes is a selfless act in a time of despair. I appreciate your selections as always, thank you Mae ✨

[sweetchili]

I’m tearing up just seeing it. Imagine being hungry, dizzy from the heat and weakened from lack of food, but still carving it out just for the future to know. Despite years had passed, our ancestors still looked out for us. And don’t mind me, I’ll be crying to sleep now

[GreyCatCZ]

Unfortunately they are visible more and more often. It feels like every summer our news report that they've been exposed again. It's really bad this year, the winter was dry and summer's gonna be even worse...

[maniaclaugh]

Most of the hunger stones are visible or only barely below the water level right now. The winter was so dry in most of Eastern and Central Europe that it counts as a drought. The summer is shaping up to be worse than the 2022 drought was and that was bad enough to lower the water table by 90 cm in some places

[summerfaye]

Famine is one of the worst fears of mankind.

[PujaSingh-cdqy]

How loving our ancestors were. And how pained their life was

[randomdude]

It's kinda mind boggling how the threat of famine loomed over us all the time for millennia, and then it just stopped. Now we produce more food than we can handle. All famines nowadays are due to political reasons (sanctions, blockades, war, etc.), rather than natural reasons.

Part of me wonders if that means our ancestors would be proud of us for overcoming that great evil, or disappointed for turning it into a political weapon.

An ancient Sumerian quote: "Enlil's [chief Sumerian deity] greatest punishment is hunger."

[doberski]

Was not aware of this practice. A brutal memorial from the past indeed!

[benjin]

London has a similar thing on the Thames. Along Embankment, thats where i saw it, they have mooring hoops in the shape of lion's heads. In the time before the Thames barrier, and along time before then but the Thames barrier countered such floods, there was a rhyme that Londoners used to see the severity of high water levels. The rhyme went..

"When the lions drink, London will sink.
When it’s up to their manes, we’ll go down the drains.
But if the Lions are ducked, then London is f**ked."

[enchantedbelle]

I go sometime without eating and im hangry and in wôrst mood ever. Food is such a blessing that we take for granted.

[nematolvajkergetok]

There is one in the Danube in Budapest too, and it's literally called Famine Rock.

[Sunflowersarepretty]

I don't need them to tell me to weep. I already feel héartbroken enough. At the same time im grateful to have the blessing of food and clean water. Our ancestors had it tôugh😢

[emmaratur]

I love how people carved it as an warning to their descendants, feel like I've been seeing things like that everywhere lately

[Blissfulheartsforlife]

Seeing these hunger stones is paînful. Like these people really wanted to make that their strugglé with no foods arent forgotten. 😢

[tinyfrog]

What is really sad is that we are seeing them now and unfortunately future generations will see them without ever being covered by water.

[EslamAhmed-klew]

People only realise how important something is once its taken from them water and food included

[Mys]

There are some in the city where I live (in Germany). I think some of the pics you showed are the stones. 1-2 years ago you could see it again. Was pretty dry and the river was super low. Ships weren't allowed to move around.