New investigations along the Adriatic coast may finally answer two important questions about the mysterious Nebra Sky Disk found in Germany. The Nebra Sky Disk is a 3,700 to 4,100-year-old bronze plate with various smaller gold applications, and is the oldest known astronomically correct representation of the sky. Since its discovery in 1999, scientists have been studying the artifact, but many questions remain unanswered. Where did the knowledge on the Nebra Sky Disk come from, and how did the artifact make its way to Germany 3,600 years ago?
Archaeologists are now turning to the Adriatic coast for answers. They believe that a relative of a Bronze Age prince traveled to Egypt and received the Nebra Sky Disk, possibly via a standard route that led from Egypt, through Crete, to the Adriatic coast, and then through the Alps to central Germany. To find further clues, archaeologists are investigating several sites along the Adriatic coast, including the coast of Torre Guacete, where an underwater drone will search for a documented shipwreck, and Roca Vecchia, where an important port existed during the Bronze Age. They will also examine the famous Grotta della Poesia, where thousands of inscriptions cover approximately 600 square meters of wall space.
The researchers hope to find a second, previously unknown entrance to the Grotta della Poesia and use a magnetometer to search the cave’s floor. They will also photograph the inscriptions systematically to analyze them later on a computer. The Nebra Sky Disk is a significant artifact, and these new investigations may finally provide answers to some of the questions surrounding its origins.
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