Archaeologists Unearth German Stonehenge

by Kim Farnell

German experts on 7th August hailed Europe’s oldest astronomical observatory, discovered in Saxony-Anhalt last year, a “milestone in archaeological research” after the details of the sensational find were made public.

Archaeologists digging in Goseck, in the district of Weissenfels in the eastern German state of Saxony-Anhalt region last September stumbled upon what they believe is Europe’s oldest astronomical observatory ever unearthed. The 3,600-year-old bronze Nebra disc was discovered in the wooded region of Nebra and is considered to be the oldest concrete representation of the cosmos.

State archaeologist Harald Meller said the site, which is believed to be a monument of ancient cult worship, provided the first insights into the spiritual and religious world of Europe’s earliest farmers. Francois Bertemes of the university of Halle-Wittenberg estimated the site to be around 7,000 years old. He described its significance as "one of the oldest holy sites" discovered in Central Europe.

Through carbon dating of two arrow heads and animal bones found within the site’s circular compounds, archaeologists have been able to determine the date of the site’s origins. They say that with all likelihood it can be traced back to the period between 5000 and 4800 B.C.

Compared to the approximately 200 other similar prehistoric mound sites strewn throughout Europe, the Goseck site has striking deviations. Instead of the usual four gates leading into the circular compounds, the Goseck monument has three. The walled-compound also consists of an unusual formation of concentric rings of man-high wooden palisades. The rings and the gates into the inner circles become narrower as one progresses to the centre, indicating perhaps that only a few people could enter the innermost ring.

Wolfhard Schlosser of the Ruhr University Bochum believes the site's unique construction indicates that it is indeed one of the earliest examples of an astrological observatory.

Schlosser, a specialist in astro-archeology, says the southern gates marked the sunrise and sunset of the winter and summer solstice and enabled the early Europeans to determine with accuracy the course of the sun as it moved across the heavens. Schlosser is convinced the site was constructed for the observation of astronomical phenomena such as the movements of the sun, moon and stars, and for keeping track of time. These celestial cycles would have been important for the sowing and harvesting of crops in the early civilization.

Schlosser also believes that Goseck is a sacred building. Archeologists have found plenty of evidence to prove that Goseck was a place of prehistoric cult worship.

The 3,600-year-old bronze Nebra disc measures 32-centimetres and is decorated with gold leaf symbols that clearly represent the sun, moon and stars. A cluster of seven dots has been interpreted as the Pleiades constellation as it appeared 3,600 years ago. Schlosser believes the formations on the disc were based on previous astrological observations, which could possibly have been made at Goseck. It is believed that the disc was probably one of a pair. The other may yet be found at the Nebra site and if scientists assumptions are correct, it depicts the heavens during the spring equinox. Scientists believe that the disc was originally smeared with rotten eggs. These would have caused a chemical reaction on its bronze surface, which would have turned the disc's background a deep violet colour simulating a night sky out of which the gold-embossed stars would have shone.

The disc bearing elaborate gold leaf images of the sun, 32 stars, and a crescent moon, was found three years ago at the site of but the results of tests on its authenticity were only published recently. The disc, valued at £6.4 million, was uncovered by a group of people using metal detectors who had kept their discovery secret. Seven members of the group are under investigation in connection with the theft of ancient objects from the state of Saxony-Anhalt, on whose land the disc was discovered. The police set a trap for the group in February by luring its members to meet what they believed to be a prospective buyer in the basement of the Hilton hotel in Basle, Switzerland. The disc was handed to scientists at the Institute for Archaeological Research in Halle where it has been studied and subjected to carbon data testing. Archaeologists had kept the discovery a secret for most of this year to prevent treasure hunters from searching the Nebra site.

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