The Nebra disc looks like an image of the sky fixed in the metal. But this image did not always look the same. The examination of its manufacture reveals several successive transformations. Before being buried around 1600 BCE, the object had already known a story whose setting keeps its traces.
Bows were added to the sides, covering some stars; another was moved to remain visible. A new arc, different in appearance and composition, then joined the ensemble. The edge was also punctured. These holes could be used to fix the disc on a support, without this use being assured.
Some of the changes can be seen directly; others appear thanks to the imagery. The disc is therefore not only a testimony of ancient celestial representations. It also retains the successive decisions of people who have reworked it. We know some stages of this transformation, but neither their exact duration nor all their intentions.
What we know
Functions and duration of phases remain partially hypothetical.
To go to the source
References consulted on September 21, 2026. Linked pages may be in another language.
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