The Nebra Sky Disc

By Frank Vincentz – Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=117229202

This remarkable object is made of bronze, is around 30 cm diameter and weighs about 2.2 kg. It has a 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.

#archaeology #astronomy #BronzeAge #Nebra #NebraSkyDisc

Bei nicht erschienenen Objekten (z. B. #Himmelsscheibe von #Nebra) kann nach § 71 UrHG das Schutzrecht auf Editoren übergehen, so daß #Replik­en genehmigungspflichtig werden:

anwalt.de/rechtstipps/ab…

#NebraSkyDisc #Archäologie #Urheberrechtsgesetz
@MuseumHalle @ArcheNebra

@NeilH @PrehistoricSociety @tess_machling I’m attracted to the #NebraSkyDisc in part because that tight cluster of studs is usually interpreted as being the Pleiades. Matariki/the Pleiades are also important half a world from where the disc was found, here in #AotearoaNewZealand where we’ve recently adopted the celebration of their first rising in our midwinter as a national public holiday.

Got a week off, some family visiting and then four days at home. During which time I'm going to turn this piece of embroidery into a shoulder bag...
#NebraSkyDisc #Embroidery

Nebra Sky Disc: Germany loans the world's 'oldest map of stars' to the British Museum #NebraSkyDisc #BritishMuseum #UnitedKingdom https://www.thepigeonexpress.com/nebra-sky-disc-germany-loans-the-worlds-oldest-map-of-stars-to-the-british-museum/