The World’s Oldest Known Representation of the Night Sky

I’m not exactly sure when I first became aware of the Nebra Sky Disc, but I do recall being reminded of its existence in late 2021 when the German ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer named his mission to the International Space Station “Cosmic Kiss” and took along a replica of the disc.

The original Nebra Sky Disc is on display at the State Museum of Prehistory in Halle. PHOTO: State Office for Heritage Management and Archaeology Saxony-Anhalt, Juraj Lipták

The Nebra Sky Disc’s Turbulent History
The mission’s name and patch were inspired by a 3,700 to 4,100-year-old bronze disc unearthed near the German town of Nebra in July 1999. This remarkable object offers us a look into the artistic ability and astronomical knowledge of people who were living in Europe around 1600 BCE. The age of the disc is only one of many aspects of this amazing object that are still uncertain. Although the disc has been part of the UNESCO Memory of the World Register since 2013, and most experts consider the Himmelsscheibe von Nebra an authentic ancient artifact, its exact age and purpose remain uncertain.

The biggest problem relates to how the Sky Disc was unearthed on the Mittelberg (“center hill”) near the town of Nebra that gave the disc its name. Unfortunately, the two men who discovered the disc were not trained archaeologists. They were in fact amateur treasure hunters using a metal detector to find more of the artifacts the area is known for. They were so little concerned with the careful removal of their discovery, that in the process they damaged the disc in several places. Even now in 2024, despite many scientific tests and detailed examinations by at least 18 scientists, some aspects of the bronze disc treasure remain uncertain.

The small town of Nebra (in orange square) is located in the eastern German state of Saxony-Anhalt. Nearby, in the Ziegelroda forest, looters dug up what was later named the Nebra Sky Disc. PHOTO: Hyde Flippo

The looters also had no intention of following the law that makes such discoveries property of the state. They attempted illegally to sell their treasure find privately. At least one of the fences damaged the disc in an amateurish attempt to clean the metal surface. (The disc and hoard had lain buried in the soil for about 3,600 years.) The artifacts changed hands several times before the police in Basel, Switzerland, working with various German and other agencies, recovered the Sky Disc hoard in a sting operation in February 2002. The Nebra collection was turned over to the state of Saxony-Anhalt. Since 23 May 2008, the Sky Disc objects have been on display at the State Museum of Prehistory (Landesmuseum für Vorgeschichte) in Halle (Saale).

Nebra Sky Disc Theories
Archaeology is a tricky profession. Attempting to explain the purpose of a one-foot (32 cm) diameter bronze disc created by people who lived hundreds of centuries ago is challenging. What does the disc’s design mean? What does it really depict?

Although there is almost universal agreement that the face of the disc depicts celestial bodies, not everyone agrees on which ones they are. Is the large round gold disc the sun or the moon? Does the gold crescent on the right represent a lunar phase or a partial solar eclipse? Are the 32 small inlaid gold discs supposed to be stars, and if so, which ones? Most experts think the small group of seven gold discs above and between the supposed moon and lunar crescent represent the “Seven Sisters” or Pleiades star cluster.

A photo with markings indicating the summer and winter solstices corresponding to the latitude where the Nebra Sky Disc was found, indicating a high degree of astronomical knowledge by those who created the disc. PHOTO: Frank Vincentz, CC-BY-SA-4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Some observers think the two golden arcs along the sides (the left side arc is missing) mark the angle between the solstices. (See photo above.) But there is less agreement about the more bowed golden arc at the bottom. Some experts claim it is a solar barque (similar to Egyptian beliefs), while others have suggested it may depict a comet, the Aurora Borealis, a rainbow, or something else.

The Less Obvious Features
The lovely greenish patina covering the disc today is actually a form of malachite corrosion. Originally, the disc had a darker bronze coloration. The metals (copper, tin, gold) used have been analyzed to reveal that they were sourced from southern Cornwall in England. The disc was apparently created over time in four stages. Some of the gold star circles were moved or covered. The supposed solar barque was added in phase three.

The discovery site is a plateau at the top of the Mittelberg (252 m above sea level), about 4 km west of the town of Nebra. Most experts now believe the Nebra disc and artifacts were part of a hoard, not a burial site. The disc was part of a buried hoard that included two gold-trimmed swords, two axes, two spiral arm-rings, and one bronze chisel. Some observers believe the disc was in use for about 200 years prior to its burial, but its precise purpose is still uncertain.

Related Sites of Interest
In addition to the permanent Nebra Sky Disc exhibition at the State Museum of Prehistory in Halle an der Saale to the northeast, about a 50-minute (48 km) drive from Nebra, there are other locations and facilities related to the disc. They are also part of an official Saxony-Anhalt tourist route known as Himmelswege (“Sky Paths”) that was inspired by the Nebra Sky Disc. Here are some of the six stations along the Sky Paths route:

Nebra Ark (Arche Nebra)
The Nebra Ark visitor center was opened in 2007. It is located near the discovery site. Shaped in imitation of the supposed sun barque seen on the disc, this visitor center offers an interactive way to experience the Sky Disc.
WEB > Nebra Ark – Official site (English; the German version below is more current and comprehensive)
WEB > Arche Nebra – Official site (Deutsch)

The Landesmuseum für Vorgeschichte (State Museum of Prehistory) in Halle, Saxony-Anhalt is the permanent home of the original Nebra Sky Disc. PHOTO: Landesmuseum für Vorgeschichte, Halle (Saale)

Mittelberg Lookout Tower (Aussichtsturm)
The Mittelberg lookout tower affords visitors a bird’s eye view of the (slightly curved) plane around the tower, so they can see the lines that each act as a visual axis. They are directed towards various nearby landmarks, such as the Brocken peak.

Himmelswege (Wikivoyage)
This Wikivoyage page (in German) has more information about the various sites along the Sky Paths.

Himmelswege
The official site for the Himmelswege/Sky Paths (auf Deutsch/in German).

Sky Paths
The official site for the Sky Paths in English.

We hope you enjoyed this brief introduction to the Nebra Sky Disc. For more about this Bronze Age treasure, see the links above and/or do an online search for more Sky Disc information.

– HF