3,800-Year-Old Nebra Disc: Europe’s Earliest Celestial Map

A 3,800-year-old bronze Nebra Sky Disc unearthed in Germany is thought to be the oldest known depiction of the cosmos, showing a crescent moon, a sun or full moon, and 32 stars including a Pleiades cluster. Likely used as a celestial map and ritual calendar to track solstices, the artifact was created in multiple phases—initially with moons and stars, later with gold arcs and a bottom arc, and finally with mounting holes. Geochemical analysis confirms local origin, and its alignment with nearby landmarks suggests an astronomical function and status as a sacred tool; it is now housed in Halle’s State Museum of Prehistory.