Exhibition to throw a new light on Stonehenge
AMAJOR exhibition at London’s British Museum is to take place next year, aiming to show Stonehenge in a whole new light.
Running from February 17 until July 17, the exhibition called The World of Stonehenge will use objects collected from across Europe to show what life was like at the time the Wiltshire monument was constructed.
On the British Museum’s website, it says: “Shrouded in layers of speculation and folklore, Stonehenge is perhaps the world’s most awe-inspiring ancient stone circle, and its image is famous around the globe.
“This major exhibition is the first of its kind in the UK. It will bring the story of Stonehenge into sharper focus, showing that rather than a shadowy age of mystery, the Britain and Ireland of four millennia ago were places of big ideas, commerce and travel.”
Among the objects on display will be the Nebra Sky Disc. At 3,600 years old it is the world’s oldest surviving map of the stars.
The 30cm bronze disc with a bluegreen patina is decorated with inlaid gold symbols thought to represent the sun, moon, stars, the solstices and the Pleiades constellation.
It was discovered in 1999 near the town of Nebra in Germany and is being loaned to the British Museum by the State Museum of Prehistory in Halle.
It is the first time it has been loaned internationally for 15 years.
According to Unesco, which includes the artefact on its global list of important historic documents, the disc gives a unique glimpse into humanity’s early knowledge of the heavens.
The disc was discovered along with swords, axes and other items dating from the Bronze Age.
It was found with a metal detector by two illegal treasure hunters, and later recovered by police in a sting.
Archaeologist and Bronze Age expert Prof Miranda Aldhouse-Green has compared the Nebra disc to a visible version of a sacred text.
Neil Wilkin, curator of The World Of Stonehenge at the British Museum, said: “The Nebra Sky Disc and the sun pendant are two of the most remarkable surviving objects from Bronze Age Europe.
“Both have only recently been unearthed, literally, after remaining hidden in the ground for over three millennia.
“We’re delighted that they will both be key pieces in our once-in-a-lifetime Stonehenge exhibition at the British Museum.
“While both were found hundreds of miles from Stonehenge, we’ll be using them to shine a light on the vast interconnected world that existed around the ancient monument, spanning Britain, Ireland and mainland Europe. It’s going to be eye-opening.”