A bronze disc with gold images of stars and celestial bodies found in Germany is one of the most mysterious archaeological finds in recent years. If archaeologists are right, it could be not only a decoration, but also an astronomical device for calculating eclipses!
This disc, dating from 1600 BC. e., is 32 cm in diameter. It contains gold stars, a crescent moon, a sun or a full moon, and also something like a crescent (possibly an image of a "heavenly boat"). On both sides of the disc there were 2 gold plates, but one of them was not preserved: either it was knocked down with a shovel, or it was lost in antiquity. X-rays showed that two more stars were hidden under the cover. This means that the overlays were added later.
The characteristic color of the "night sky" was deliberately imparted to the bronze, most likely with the help of rotten eggs. Small holes are made along the edge of the disc for attaching to something already lost. The analysis showed that gold was mined in Cornwall (UK).
The disc was excavated in 1999 by Henry Westphal and Mario Renner, "black archaeologists" who worked with a metal detector and shovels in the Siegelrode forest, near the village of Nebra (Saxony-Anhalt). In addition to the disc, other Bronze Age objects dating back to 1600 BC were found underground in the same place. e.: swords, axes, bracelets. There were no human remains nearby. The valuables were not put next to the deceased, but were hidden until better times.
Other Bronze Age items found next to the disc are on display at the Galle Museum.
Westphal and Renner sold all of the finds to collectors for 31,000 DM. Since then, the treasure passed from hand to hand, each time increasing in value. When the police got down to business, the last owners of the treasure asked for 400 thousand euros for it. Of course, they were cheap - now only one disc is estimated at 12 million euros!
Harald Möller, director of the State Museum of Prehistoric History in Halle (Saxony-Anhalt), took part in the operation to detain the "collectors". He immediately understood from the characteristic swords and axes from the hoard that the find is 1000 years older than Stonehenge and has incredible value. Research has proven that the artifact is really ancient and is not a fake.
The "black archaeologists" were also caught, but since they agreed to cooperate with scientists, they were given a short term - one received 6 months in prison, the second - a year. They showed an excavation site on Mittelberg Hill, near Nebra. Möller realized that the hill was once a sanctuary and was surrounded by a moat with a low rampart about 75 m in diameter, and a stone embankment rose near the top of the hill. Pieces of bronze were found in the ground, which coincided with the dents on the objects from the treasure.
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Ruhr University astronomer Wolfhard Schlosser suggested that the ends of the gold trims mark points on the horizon where the sun rises and sets on the summer and winter solstices. The angle between them is 82 ° - exactly the same number of degrees between these points, if observed from Mittelberg.
The angle formed by the overlays and its astronomical significance.
Using the Disk for Sun Observing (National Geographic Magazine).
about 1600 BC e. Mittelberg Hill was a good spot for observation. From it you can see that on the day of the summer solstice, the sun sets behind the Brocken - the highest peak of the Harz. If you point the north end of the pad at Brocken, the other end aligns with the sunset on the winter solstice. Frosts usually end here after May 1, when the sun sets behind the Kiffhauser, another notable peak. Knowing this, the priests could tell the peasants when to start sowing or harvesting.
Cluster of seven golden stars - Pleiades. Once every ten years, they find themselves next to a growing month (this moment was depicted on the disk), and after 7 days a lunar eclipse occurs. The ability to predict eclipses gave the priests tremendous power over the uneducated people.
Solar eclipse April 16, 1699 BC BC, observed from the top of Mittelberg (computer reconstruction).
Andis Kaulin and Milton Heifetz calculated that the stars on the disk are located for a reason, but depict the position of celestial bodies during a solar eclipse on April 16, 1699 BC. e. The coincidence, of course, turned out to be not perfect, but it is impossible to write off it as an accident.
Astronomical * transcript * of the disk by A. Kaulin and M. Kheifets.
Judging by the image of the "heavenly boat", the disc was not just a complex device, but also an object of worship. Perhaps this is the oldest evidence of this kind of belief in Europe (other finds with images of the "heavenly boat" are much younger). However, it was added to the disc much later, after the overlays and consists of gold of a different origin.
The reverse side of the 10 euro coin. On it, the disc is called * heavenly *, not * starry * (Himmelsscheibe).
Today, the "star disc" has become one of the most popular symbols of Germany and has even been featured on a 10 euro coin issued in 2008.