More than a dozen “hunger stones” have been found in the Elbe River. The stones recorded low water levels dating back to the 1600s and warn of impending hardships. Due to scorching temperatures, the water in the Czech river has dropped, revealing boulders that were once used to record low water levels. The rocks are etched with dates going back to the 1600s — the Maunder Minimum. In centuries gone by, if you saw carved rocks emerge from the Elbe River you had a very tough time ahead of you. They have reappeared once again this summer.