The Nebra sky disc is a bronze plate inlaid with a gold Sun or Moon, a crescent and stars, including what looks like the Pleiades. It is about 3,600 years old. Looters dug it up in Germany in 1999, and police seized it in 2002.
Truth label: Established. Strong evidence and broad agreement among experts.
Go deeper
A farming calendar?
Gold arcs on the edges match the angle between sunset at midsummer and midwinter where it was found.
The Pleiades
This star cluster's appearance and disappearance marked planting and harvest times for many ancient cultures.
Learn
- Why it matters. It shows Bronze Age Europeans were tracking the sky with real precision.
Test yourself
Which star cluster may appear on the disc?
The Pleiades. A tight group of seven stars is usually read as the Pleiades.
Sources
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