Nebra Sky Disc

Context 

• The British Museum in London will display an ancient object called the Nebra Sky Disc.
  • It will be showcased as part of an exhibition on Stonehenge, which will open in February 2022.

What is the Nebra Sky Disc?

• The Nebra Sky Disc is widely believed to be 3,600 years old, dating from the Bronze Age.
• It is thought to be the world’s oldest concrete depiction of stars.
• The Nebra disc measures about 30cm in diameter and has a blue-green patina emblazoned with gold symbols representing the Sun, Moon, stars, solstices and other cosmic phenomena.
• Discovery: The bronze disc was unearthed in Germany in 1999 by treasure hunters using a metal detector.
  • The disc was ritually buried along with two swords, axes, two spiral arm-rings and one bronze chisel near Nebra in Germany.

• Association with the Unetice culture: It is thought to be one of the most important archaeological discoveries of the 20th century and has been associated with the Unetice culture that inhabited parts of Europe around 1600 BC.
  •  The Unetice culture comprised early Bronze Age communities in central Europe including in Bohemia, Bavaria, southeastern Germany and western Poland.
  • One of the distinguishing features of this culture was its use of tin-bronze metallurgy. 
  • Some of the metal artefacts made during this time by communities in the Unetice culture include ogival and triangular daggers with metal hilts, flanged axes, halberds, spiral arm-rings, solid bronze bracelets and varieties of pins.

• In the past few years, however, the date of origin of the disc has been called into question by some archaeologists. 
• Value: The disc has a value of about $11 million and is thought by some to be one part of a pair, with the other part still out there, waiting to be discovered

Image Courtesy: IE

Source: IE