Logic Masters Deutschland e.V.

Spectacular cave discovery near Rätselhausen

A previously unknown cave has been found and explored in the forest just above the popular recreation area for puzzle solvers named Rätselhausen. The findings have radically overturned many old certainties among experts.

The cave was used more than 100,000 years ago by a hitherto unknown species of Neanderthals whose mathematical abilities apparently far eclipse those documented by previous findings. This species apparently even knew three number signs, one each for "little", "more" and "many". Unfortunately, it has not yet been fully researched which sign stands for which term, and the exact quantification of these three primitive quantity indications is also still pending.

The real sensation, however, is the discovery that a frieze carved into the wall is by no means, as initially assumed, merely cult-like representations of astronomical objects to embellish the cave. As experts have now discovered, it is instead a Stone Age puzzle, the oldest known puzzle find of its kind.

The experts of the renowned puzzle association Logic Masters, to whom the find was submitted, recognised in it a primitive precursor of the puzzle type magnetic plates. According to their information, all fields must be filled with a sun, a moon or a star. Suns and moons may not touch each other orthogonally, but stars may. Sun and moon symbols must be balanced on each plate, i.e. a plate either has exactly one sun and one moon, or both symbols are missing.

The numbers above and to the left of the puzzle indicate how often which symbol appears in each row or column.

Fortunately, the position of the plates on the wall frieze is still clearly visible, but the numbers are quite incomplete. The puzzle experts, however, are of the opinion that the puzzle can nevertheless be solved in an unique way.

So that our readers can make up their own minds about the find, we have printed it here: