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March 10, 2009
The Mystery of the Bronze Age Star Disc
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6722953.stm
Archaeologists have revived the debate over whether a spectacular Bronze Age disc from Germany is one of the earliest known calendars.
The Nebra disc is emblazoned with symbols of the Sun, Moon and stars and said by some to be 3,600 years old.
Writing in the journal Antiquity, a team casts doubt on the idea the disc was used by ancient astronomers as a precision tool for observing the sky.
They instead argue that the disc was used for shamanistic rituals.
But other archaeologists who have studied the Himmelsscheibe von Nebra (Nebra sky disc) point to features which, they say, helped Bronze Age people to track four key dates during the year.
The Nebra disc is considered one of the most sensational - and controversial - discoveries in archaeology in the past 10 years.
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Posted by Rob Kiser on March 10, 2009 at 3:29 PM
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