In Lower Saxony, a treasure of 3,300 years old was discovered. Chemical analysis showed that the gold comes from mines in Central Asia. Did the ancient trading networks cover such a large area?
117 gold objects with a total weight of 1.8 kg, found in the Hessel region of Lower Saxony. The treasure was wrapped in cloth and buried about 3 300 years ago. Among the artifacts there are adornments, but the main mass is made up of wire spirals, connected in chains of ten pieces. This is not jewelry, but an ancient analogue of gold bars.
The most surprising thing is that according to the analysis carried out by the University of Hanover, gold was mined in Central Asia. Based on the mass spectrometer data on more than 20 trace elements contained in the "ingots", a gold mine formed somewhere in the mountains of Afghanistan, Kazakhstan or Uzbekistan.
Well, it turns out that trade relations of the then primitive Northern Europe in the second half of the 2nd millennium BC. e. covered almost half the world. Apparently, the gold of the mountain tribes of Central Asia got into the cities of the Indian civilization, from there - by sea - to Mesopotamia. This trade route is well known to ancient historians. And then, in some incomprehensible way, the gold reached the far northern plains of Europe.
Of course, there are experts who strongly doubt the results of chemical analysis. We do not know anything about gold mining in Central Asia in ancient times.
At the same time, there is ample evidence that more than 3,000 years ago, trade became global. For example, an ancient Egyptian folding chair was found on the territory of Sweden, and in Bavaria - the shells of a Mediterranean clam.
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At the same time, trade in valuable metals was widespread: tin, copper, gold and silver. The merchants overcame any obstacles. They say that the "mummy man" Ötzi, who died in the Alps 5,500 years ago, was one of these - in fact, that's why the robbers killed him.
But can we say that trading networks reached the mines of Central Asia, if they were there, of course? In theory, yes, because a huge belt of gold and tin veins runs through the entire region from Altai to the Aral Sea. A prehistoric gold mine - the largest in the Central Caucasus - was recently discovered in Armenia (remember the myth of the golden fleece).
The presentation of the treasure and its analysis is scheduled for July 13 in Hanover. Perhaps supporters and opponents of the Central Asian hypothesis will be able to clarify the situation a little.