An archaeological survey in Austria has uncovered artifacts from the Bronze Age, including a golden cult bowl with a sun emblem. The discovery was made near the town of Ebreichsdorf, where a new railway is planned.
Bronze Age Artefacts
Archaeologists from the German company Novetus recently carried out rescue excavations in the Lower Austrian town of Ebreichsdorf. Bronze Age people lived in the area 3,000 years ago. They left behind several hundred gold objects.
During the archaeological survey, the scientists uncovered, among other things, a golden bowl in a dried-up swamp. The bowl’s bottom depicts the sun with eleven rays. Because the artifacts were not damaged, the bowl likely had a cultic function during rituals, according to excavation manager Michal Sip.
Golden Bowl Analysis
Chemical analyses showed that the material of the bowl is 90 percent gold, with the remaining part being silver and copper, 5% of each. The researchers will now try to determine where this material came from. The bowl is slightly larger than a human hand, almost 20 centimeters in diameter and 5 centimeters high.
Other artifacts have also been discovered at the same site, including two bracelets made of gold wire. Nearly 500 Bronze Age objects – knives, daggers, and spikes – were found in the dry bog. In addition, researchers also came across remnants of organic matter, the identity of which DNA analysis should reveal.
Experts know of about 30 similar bowls from different sites in Europe. This is the first of its kind to be discovered in Austria and only the second to come from an area east of the line of the Alps. They are usually found in Germany and Scandinavia.
https://www.livescience.com/bronze-age-sun-bowl-austria, credit: Novetus GmbH, Andreas Rausch
