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Origin and history

The column of the Weitbruch Forest, although often referred to as a Gallo-Roman Milestone, is in fact a stele whose origin and function remain undetermined. Discovered in 1859 by loggers in the communal forest of Weitbruch (Bas-Rhin), it was originally interpreted as a vestige of the Roman road network of Upper Germania. However, the absence of proven Latin inscription and the doubts of the specialists since the late nineteenth century led to abandoning this hypothesis. The stele, in sandstone with quartz inclusions, is 2.10 m tall with a diameter of 60 to 69 cm, and has an irregular top and a parallelepipedic base.

The stele was straightened in 1859 by Colonel de Morlet, who saw there a truncated column, perhaps linked to the hypothetical Roman route linking Brumath to Seltz. However, his conjectures, based on Roman remains in the vicinity and a form considered similar to other bounds, were contested. Jérôme Anselme Siffer, a local parish priest, hypothesized traces of a Roman numeral (X) and letters (LEVG), but these interpretations, considered uncredible, were not retained by the Corpus Inscription Latinarum in 1907. The stone, originally anepograph, was later engraved (1859 and 1931) and vandalized.

Despite its classification as a Historic Monument in 1934 to preserve this controversial vestige, the stele underwent several displacements and re-uses. In 1890 it was used as a memorial stone by a society of veterans, then degraded in 1931, perhaps in connection with the Maginot line. Its forest environment, rich in ancient vestiges (toiles, bronzes, medals), and its proximity to ancient ways did not allow to decide on its original function. Alternative assumptions include a protohistoric, medieval, or Christianized cross.

Today, the column carries graffiti and an engraved cartridge (KM, AAWA, 1931), demonstrating its successive reuse. Its current location in District 39 of the communal forest, 2 km north of Weitbruch, remains poorly documented as to its original orientation. The archives and subsequent studies could shed light on its history, but its mystery persists, reflecting the limits of knowledge about the isolated remains of the ancient or medieval period in Alsace.

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