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An interpretation of the Nebra disc

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2015

Emília Pásztor
Affiliation:
Matrica Museum, HU-2440 Szazhalombatta, Hungary (Email: pasztore@enternet.hu)
Curt Roslund
Affiliation:
Department of Astronomy, Gothenburg University, SE-41296 Gothenburg, Sweden

Extract

The Nebra disc is one of the most sensational European discoveries of the decade. It appears to carry symbols of the sun, moon and stars wrought in gold on a flat bronze disc just over a foot across (320mm). It is not only very strange, but, famously, appears to be winking, initially raising the suspicion that it may be a hoax. Scholars have, however, claimed it firmly for the Bronze Age, and the debate now moves to the matter of its meaning. Here the authors offer a subtle interpretation that sees it as the shamanistic device of a local warrior society.

Type
Research
Copyright
Copyright © Antiquity Publications Ltd. 2007

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