Welcome to BrainStuff, a production of I Heart Radio.

Hey BrainStuff, Lauren Vocalbaum here.

At some point in ancient history, a story scene was immortalized on a disk of bronze.

That artifact is an enigma today.

Recovered by Treasure Hunters in 1999,

it's been named the Nebra Sky Disk, after the town of Nebra, Germany near the site where the disk was found.

Some experts say this object might be the oldest surviving attempt to portray astronomical objects like stars in a realistic way.

But we're missing some important context. While the Nebra Skydisk is undoubtedly valuable,

its age is open to debate. The artifact measures about 12 inches

or 30 centimeters wide and weighs about 4.5 pounds or 2 kilos. A series of about 40 tiny holes were made along the perimeter.

The disc has a bluish-green backdrop punctuated by golden symbols.

Special attention has been paid to seven tightly packed dots on the disk.

They most likely depict Pleiades, a star cluster visible from both hemispheres.

There's also a large golden circle that to represent the sun or the moon.

It faces a crescent-shaped object that might be an artist's take on an eclipse or a lunar phase.

Finally, there are 25 golden dots, a curved line towards the bottom, and two long

arks, hugging the sides of the disk.

The latter evoke horizons, a possible reference to the solstice.

Who knows?

Perhaps the disc helped farmers time their harvests in accordance with the changing seasons.

It could have had religious value as well.

The arks, stars, and other ornaments were made of gold,

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