Research Reveals Oldest Precise Depiction of the Sky Took Bronze Age Craftspeople Ten Forging Cycles To Create
The Nebra Sky Disc has routinely astounded researchers since its discovery in 2002. The Bronze Age artifact is the oldest depiction of the sky found to this date by experts, IFL Science reported. The illustrations on the artifact are meticulous and reflect the brilliant craftsmanship that existed in society allegedly three millenniums ago. Researchers have been trying for years to find out, how the artifact came to be. In a recent study published in Scientific Reports, a team of experts unveiled that the artifact was possibly made to undergo ten forging cycles to transform into its final version.
To understand how the disc was made authors of the study created a replica. They manufactured the replica disc by continuously heating the material. Authors claimed that analysis of the disc has already showcased that the 12-inch (30-centimeter) wide bronze disc was built through multiple cycles of heating as well as hammering.
Experts made sure that they stopped their process when the replica achieved the features of the original, with the use of metallography. This method involves utilizing a microscope to figure out aspects like the physical structure and components of metals and alloys. Experts honed in on the structure of copper crystals in the bronze to make their comparisons.
According to the analysis, the whole manufacturing process for the original artifact took around ten cycles of forging. The forging comprised two steps- heating and hammering. The metal was heated to 1,290 degrees Fahrenheit (700 degrees Celsius) and then hammered. The whole sequence went on for around ten times, to get the final product. The results indicated "how high the art of metalworking was already developed in the Early Bronze Age," study co-author and Saxony-Anhalt state archaeologist Harald Meller said, stated Live Science.
The artifact was unveiled to the world in bizarre circumstances. It was unearthed by unlicensed metal detectorists in 1999 along with several weapons and jewelry. Officials were not informed about the artifact. Police eventually retrieved the loot in 2002, and the world came to know of Nebra Sky Disc.
As per Astronomy Magazine, the artifacts were found at Mittelberg Hill in the Saxony-Anhalt region near Leipzig in eastern Germany. Though the disc could not give any conclusive data through dating techniques, the other items all dated back to around 1600 B.C. in the Bronze Age.
The Sky Disc features what experts believe to be the figures of the Sun, crescent Moon, stars, ship, and horizon. All the illustrations are created with gold and placed on a bronze disc. The artifact is not a map of the sky, something that was built one thousand years later. Researchers do not think the illustrations are detailed enough to be used in navigation. They believe that the disc was either used for decoration or had a religious purpose. Further investigation is needed to determine the exact cause.