Free Republic

German researchers have reconstructed the ancient manufacturing process of the Nebra Sky Disc, one of Europe's best-known archaeological finds, and discovered the impressive metallurgical skills of Early Bronze Age craftsmen.Discovered in 1999 on Mittelberg Hill near Nebra, Germany, the Nebra Sky Disc is a 30-centimeter-diameter bronze artifact. The disc holds gold inlays that represent celestial elements: the full moon or sun, crescent moon, and stars. The disc dates to between 1800 and 1600 BCE and is associated with the Únětice culture. It is, in general, regarded as the oldest representation of the cosmos in the world.Researchers at Otto von Guericke...

Nebra, Germany - Archaeologists offered a first glimpse on Wednesday of a lost culture's holy site atop a German peak, and confirmed it as the source of the world's oldest map of the heavens. The exact location has been kept secret for weeks, amid fears that treasure-seekers would move in and disturb Bronze Age remains. The site is atop the Mittelberg, a 252m hill in the Ziegelroda Forest, 180km south-west of Berlin. Adding a spooky touch is the discovery that, seen from the Mittelberg, the sun sets every June 22 behind the Brocken, the highest mountain in northern Germany. The...