26/01/2026
My new post series "In between tours".
The Nebra Sky Disc.
In 1999 two friends who were searching for treasure with the help of metal detectors in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, eventually found a treasure, a find which later turned out to be one of great importance. They knew they were breaking the law and yet they still sold the treasure in Cologne for 31,000 Deutsche Mark. The treasure was apprently sold several more times after that, it is estimated that at its peak the price reached 1 million Deutsche Mark (more than half a million Euros nowadays). In 2002, during a sting operation in which an archaeologist from the state of Saxony-Anhalt took part, the treasure was tracked down and returned to the state.
What did they find? The cache included two bronze knives, two screws, a chisel and bracelet fragments. But the most important find in the cache was the Nebra Sky Disc. The disk got its name from the town Nebra, next to which the disc was found. Although the Nebra Sky Disc is a fascinating and rare find, the importance of the other finds in the cache should not be underestimated.
The Nebra Sky disc is a 30 cm diameter bronze disc that weighs about 1 kilogram. The disc itself is green from the patina that clung the bronze over the years, and is decorated with gold symbols. These symbols probably symbolize the sun (or full moon), crescent moon and stars (including a cluster of seven stars that some see as the Pleiades).
On the sides were two golden arcs (one has been removed, presumably in ancient times), these are thought to represent the times of the two solstices, beneath is another more curved arc which is theorized to be a solar boat, a theory which is still under debate.
The artistic style of the disc did not resemble anything else that was familiar from that period, due to that, the disc was initially suspected of being a forgery, but today it is accepted by all that it is authentic.
The exact dating of the disk was based on the finds found with it on the site. According to the shape and style, the weapons were dated to the second millennium BC, but remains of birch wood were found on one of the blades, and following a C14 test, it was possible to say that the disc can be dated between 16th-15th centuries BC.
The disc was of course thoroughly researched and further tests showed that the copper used came from Austria, part of the gold used for the disc was mined in the Carpathian Mountains and part of it came from Cornwall in Britain. Interestingly, the tin that was imported into the area also came from Cornwall in the UK, all this indicates an extensive trade network between the British isles and Europe at that period.
The Nebra sky disk is considered a find that confirms the astronomical knowledge and abilities of the people in Bronze Age Europe. It is true that sites like Stonehenge are older, but the disk is the oldest known "mobile device" that allowed such astronomical measurements. 🏺
