Decoding the Multiple Lives of the Nebra Sky Disc

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By Dig Labs Contributors
Source: Dig Labs Project

Who created this object? What astronomical knowledge does it encode? How was it used, why was it altered, and what does its final burial reveal?

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BY
Dig Labs Contributors
Investigating historic and prehistoric mysteries together through crowdfunded research.
SOURCE
Dig Labs Project

Introduction

In 1800 BC, a bronze disc was decorated with gold to create a mysterious image of the heavens unlike anything else from the ancient world. Scholars call it the earliest known depiction of the cosmos in the world. But who created this object? What astronomical knowledge does it encode? How was it used, why was it altered, and what does its final burial reveal about a culture in crisis? The object was part of the rise of a new religion and the collapse of a powerful society.