Enigmatic Bronze Age disk from Saxony-Anhalt, Germany
The Nebra sky disc is a green patinated bronze disc measuring about 300 mm (12 in) in diameter and weighing 2.2 kg (4 lb 14 oz). It was discovered in 1999 by metal detectorists operating illegally near the town of Nebra, Saxony-Anhalt, and later recovered by a police ‘sting’ in Basel.
The disk dates to around 1600 BCE. It is inlaid with gold symbols thought to represent either the sun or the full moon, a crescent moon, and stars. If this interpretation is correct, it would be one of the earliest depictions of the cosmos anywhere in the world. Two gold arcs (one now missing) were later added at the sides, possibly to mark the summer and winter solstitial rising and setting of the Sun. A third grooved arc at the bottom of the piece is a still later addition and may represent a celestial barge of the type associated with the Egyptian sun god Ra.
The Nebra Sky Disk was on display at the British Museum between 17 Feb and 17 July 2022 as part of the World of Stonehenge exhibition, where I took this photograph.