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Nebra Sky Disc: British Museum to display world's 'oldest map of stars'

Oct 18,2021 2:16 am

An ancient object thought to be The World 's oldest map of The Stars is to Go On display at the British Museum .

The Nebra Sky Disc is widely believed to be 3,600 years old, dating from the Bronze Age .

The Bronze Disc was unearthed in Germany in 1999 and is considered one of The Most important archaeological finds of the 20Th Century .

But its discovery has also been controversial, with a small number of scholars disputing its authenticity.

The Nebra Disc measures about 30cm and has a blue-green patina emblazoned with gold symbols representing The Sun , Moon, stars, solstices and other cosmic phenomena.

According to Unesco, the Disc gives a unique glimpse into humanity's early knowledge of The Heavens .

It belongs to Germany's State Museum of Prehistory in Halle but is being loaned to the British Museum - the First Time it has been loaned abroad in 15 years.

The British Museum said it would Go On show as part of an exhibition on Stonehenge, opening in February.

" It's going to be eye-opening, " said Neil Wilkin, curator of The World Of Stonehenge exhibition.

" The Nebra Sky Disc and The Sun pendant are two of The Most remarkable surviving objects from Bronze Age Europe, " He Said .

" Both have only recently been unearthed, literally, after remaining hidden in the ground for over three millennia.

" We're delighted that they will both be key pieces in our once-in-a-lifetime Stonehenge exhibition at the British Museum .

" While both were found hundreds of miles from Stonehenge, we'll be using them to shine a light on the vast interconnected world that existed around the ancient monument, spanning Britain, Ireland and mainland Europe. "

The original purpose of Stonehenge remains a mystery, but the Stone Circle built in about 2,500 BC.

The Sun and its solstices are also represented with markings on the Nebra Disc - and experts believe The Sun was central to northern European Bronze Age religion.

Archaeologist and Bronze Age expert Prof Miranda Aldhouse-Green that the symbols on the Nebra Disc " are all part of a complex European wide belief system whereby people looked at The Heavens , worshipped them, worshipped The Sun , worshipped The Moon , aligned their monuments on the sunrise or the moonrise".

" And because Nebra has brought all these symbols together it tells us for the First Time perhaps what people were really seeing, perceiving and believing. "

She compared the Nebra Disc to a visible version of a sacred text.

Colourful history

The Disc was discovered near The Town of Nebra in Germany along with swords, axes and other items dating from the Bronze Age .

It was found with a metal detector by two illegal Treasure Hunters , and later recovered by police in a sting.

While it is widely considered to date from the Bronze Age ,

And last September, suggesting the object could be about 1,000 years younger and dating from the Iron Age .

The Germany Museum has dismissed the claims, CNN reported, saying some claims were inconsistent, " not comprehensible" and that the researchers had ignored other published research.

The World Of Stonehenge will run from 17 February to 17 July next Year .



Source of news: bbc.com

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