◆ One of the most exquisite decorative objects unearthed in England and Ireland during the construction of Stonehenge, carved from a piece of flint nodule in a prominent color.
◆ Nebra astrolabe, discovered in present-day Germany, about 1600 BC.
◆ Stonehenge
From now until 17 July, the UK's first Stonehenge themed special exhibition, The World of Stonehenge, is held at the British Museum, featuring more than 430 ancient artifacts from across Europe, taking visitors back to the time of Stonehenge's construction from 3000 BC to 2500 BC, revealing the secrets of Stonehenge.
Jennifer Wexler, one of the curators, said in the article that Stonehenge occurred almost simultaneously with the Sphinx of Egypt and the Great Pyramid of Giza. Despite their many differences, these distant wonders still have much in common, noting that the most important thing, she notes, is that these ideas and abilities that bring together the people, materials, objects, and ideas needed to perform creative feats remain striking thousands of years later, "The monument is not static, but is rooted in changing religious, political, and social practices." In order to demystify these famous sites, we must place them in a broader context of the times. The topography of Stonehenge when it was built, the people who built it, and the objects and eras they carried provide a new perspective for viewing this monument."
The axis of stone center stone centers marks the location of the midsummer sunrise and the winter solstice sunset, on midsummer days, when the sun rises over the horizon near the avenue and is framed by upright objects known as heel stones; in mid-winter, the sun sets in opposite directions, falling between the two columns of the three-stone pier, the highest in the center of the monument. According to archaeologists, by the middle of 2000 BC, the Stonehenge circle had become a ruin, but construction and renovations continued to occur. To this day, the monument to Stonehenge remains a powerful symbol, and every summer solstice, many Britons make a pilgrimage to Stonehenge to welcome the first rays of sunshine and ask for protection. It is reported that on the summer solstice day of 2021, the on-site activities were cancelled due to the epidemic, and tens of thousands of people greeted the first rays of the summer solstice in the live broadcast.
In this exhibition, the story behind the stones is revealed through related objects, including stone axes from the Northern Italian Alps, early metalwork, and the Nebra Sky Disc, the world's oldest surviving astrological chart. Nebra Sky Disc is the world's oldest known astrolabe, and is also one of the highlights of this exhibition, it is reported that this artifact was excavated in 1999 in the German town of Nebra, with a diameter of 30 centimeters, speculated to have been made in 1600 BC, the bronze disc is inlaid with gold tablets representing the sun, moon, stars and other celestial bodies, reflecting the early human understanding of astronomical phenomena. The exhibition is considered landmark, with all the objects on display providing important clues about the beliefs, rituals, and complex worldviews of the Neolithic people. ◆ Text: Zhang Mengwei