In the Dark

This remarkable object is made of bronze, is around 30 cm diameter and weighs about 2.2 kg. It has a blue-green patina and is inlaid with gold symbols, usually interpreted as the full moon, a lunar crescent, and stars, including a cluster of seven stars, thought to represent the Pleiades. The gold arc on the right probably represents the Sun’s path between the solstices; the angle subtended by the arc (82°) is the correct angle sunrise at the summer and winter solstices and at the latitude of the discovery site (Mittelberg, near Nebra, in Germany); there was probably another such arc on the other side of the disk (now lost). Remarkably, the tin used in making the bronze from which it is formed has been traced by metallurgical analysis to Cornwall.

The Nebra disc has been dated to c. 1800–1600 BCE (Bronze Age) which makes it the oldest (certain) depiction of celestial phenomena known from anywhere in the world. In November 2021, a replica of the Nebra Sky Disc was taken by German astronaut Matthias Maurer to the International Space Station.

This entry was posted on September 19, 2025 at 4:35 pm and is filed under Art, History, The Universe and Stuff with tags archaeology, astronomy, Bronze Age, Nebra, Nebra Sky Disc. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.