Rituals and Beliefs of the Circum Harz Group-Unetice Culture Part 6

 Finally, in this series of essays about the Unetice Culture I wish to discuss the probable religious beliefs and rituals of the Circum Harz group, which has been my focus throughout. As the Unetice Culture were clearly preliterate our observations and deductions must derive from the archaeological evidence alone. This evidence reveals three important aspects of the Unetice Culture in the Harz area,

Ancestor and Elite Cults

In common with many other ancient cultures, ancestor veneration was a key part of their religious belief and ritual system. Veneration of the ancestors along with veneration of the elements of the natural world are foundational stages of so-called 'primitive' belief systems. The relative value of those goods is indicative of the individual's social status within the Unetice Culture. At the very top of this hierarchy is the prince, buried with the most precious items of jewellery, weapons and tools. It is the prince alone who was buried in a timber lined stone constructed burial chamber underneath a huge tumulus, which dominated the landscape surrounding the nearby Kyffhäuser hills, an impressive sight! A great deal of co-ordinated labour must have gone into its construction. This was not just a grave but a permanent monument, reflecting the splendour and power of the prince. 

In early Indo-European society the prince/king/chieftain wielded not only temporal power but spiritual power, both aspects vested in the same individual. This continued until the division of these functions and the creation of a separate priestly caste. Many of my readers will be aware of the theory of Dumezil that the Indo-European sovereign function had two halves: the magico-sacral and the kingly temporal/martial. The Unetice Culture seems to predate this split. However, it is likely that there would have been 'ritual specialists' who would have advised and supported the prince but they had not yet developed into a fully fledged separate priestly caste. The existence of the Nebra Disc indicates to me that men with specialist knowledge must have existed even if they were not regarded by the community as priests.

The sacral function of the prince is evident from his burial goods, the most significant, in my opinion, being the ancient stone axe, dated to the fifth millennium BCE.  As discussed in my essay Early Advanced Statehood in Central Germany-Unetice Culture Part 2 this axe was of great antiquity and clearly was no longer used as a tool or a weapon but was an important part of the prince's regalia. The lack of any priestly graves further strengthens the argument that all power, temporal and spiritual was vested in the prince. It was the prince alone who acted as a mediator between his people and the gods.

Across the whole spectrum of Indo-European mythologies the stone axe or hammer was associated with thunder, lightning and the sky gods; it was emblemic of cosmic order. We are reminded of Thunor's (original) stone hammer or axe, the stone axe of Perkunas and the thunderstones of Germanic and Celtic lore. The stone axe of the prince is indicative of his long lineage and right to rule, going right back to the Neolithic. Stone axes appear in the graves of many other Bronze Age chieftains, all symbolic of their right to rule, their long lineages and their connection to the gods. The axe, especially the stone axe was symbolic of a unified sovereignty, which was both spiritual and temporal.

Solar and Celestial Symbolism

The discovery of the Nebra Disc demonstrates to us that the people of that time and place had an advanced knowledge of the stars and the calendar. Indeed, this may be taken as evidence for solar worship or at the very least for solar-aligned ritualistic practice. Knowledge of the dating of the solstices would have been an integral part of the timing of various rituals. See: The Nebra Sky Disc-Unetice Culture Part 1

Belief in an Afterlife

At nearly all levels of Leubingen society the dead were buried along with grave goods. This is clear evidence for the belief in an afterlife in which these goods would have been necessary. It also demonstrates respect for the ancestors, all the ancestors, not just the elite. Ancestor veneration in itself demonstrates a conviction that the dead continue to exist but on a separate plane of existence. In Indo-European belief systems the gods themselves are seen as deified ancestors, deserving of the greatest veneration of all.

The Nebra Sky Disc-Unetice Culture Part 1

 

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nebra_disc_1.jpg  

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e9/Nebra_disc_1.jpg 

Frank Vincentz, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

[[File:Nebra disc 1.jpg|thumb|512px|alt=Nebra Sky Disk|Nebra Sky Disk. Photo by Frank Vincentz, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons]]

The Nebra Sky Disc or to give it its German name, die Himmelscheibe von Nebra was discovered by two treasure hunters, equipped with a metal detector in 1999 near the town of Nebra in Sachsen-Anhalt (Saxony-Anhalt) in Germany. Although their actions were judged to be illegal we must be grateful for their discovery which unearthed some incredible finds. The discovery came to light in 2002 due to a police operation when the treasure had for the second time been placed on the black market. The find led qualified state archaeologists to start their own dig. It is unfortunate that the treasure hunters damaged part of the disc with a spade and destroyed parts of the site. The find was part of a prehistoric site, enclosing an 827ft high  hill called the Mittelberg. Also unearthed at the site were the remains of two bronze axes, two bronze swords a bronze chisel and fragments of bronze armbands.

 Radiocarbon dating of the sword hilts gives a date of 1600-1560 BCE for the hoard. Likewise, an analysis of the corrosion and metal radioactivity on the disc support this date range. X-ray fluorescence indicates that the copper in the bronze originated from Bischofshofen in Austria; the tin and gold originated from Cornwall. This demonstrates that there were extensive trade links between this area of Germany with Austria and England over 3,500 years ago.

The disc measures approximately 32cm in diameter and weighs 4.9lb. The blue-green patina on the bronze disc is thought to have been created by the smearing of rotten eggs. The colour represents the night-sky and helps to contrast with the gold symbols on the surface of the disc. The symbols contained on the disc include a depiction of the sun, a lunar crescent, stars and two arcs (there were originally three). The stars which are symbolised by 32 gold dots include a cluster of seven stars which are believed to represent the Pleiades. The gold used to make the arcs appears to come from a different source and these symbols are considered to be a later addition.

Around the edge of the disc were originally 38 to 40 holes punched. Researcher, Howard Crowhurst speculates in his book, The Nebra Sky Disc. Cycles in the Cosmos (second edition, 2023) that the actual number is 39. Scientists cannot say with any certainty whether the number is 38, 39 or 40 due to some damage to the edge of the disc. Mr Crowhurst advances several reasons as to why he believes the number to be 39, based on his knowledge of geometry and archaeoastronomy, citing examples from the Mayan calendar and the cycles of the Moon, Mars and Venus as well as the human gestation period. I recommend that my readers purchase a copy of his book. It contains only 76 pages but it is vital reading if you are interested in finding out about the disc. Be aware that it contains a lot of geometry which I found quite difficult to follow: several readings of the book would be necessary for most people to fully understand and consolidate all the information.

Originally, there were two arcs on the left and right sides of the disc but only the right side one has survived. The two arcs have an angle span of 82 deg which show the angle between the positions of the two solstices from the line of latitude of the Mittelberg. This demonstrates to me that the disc was an integral part of the archaeological culture of that area for it has been clearly calibrated for this specific region. 

Mr Crowhurst speculates that the 39 3mm diameter punched holes on the edge of the disc were intended for the insertion of small pegs for the purpose of keeping track of the cycles, making this disc a very practical tool for calculating and synchronising the solar and lunar calendars. In other words, this is a portable version of the likes of megalithic structures such as Stonehenge and Carnac. The science appears to be the same. This is surely evidence for a professional priesthood in the early European Bronze Age?

The god arc at the bottom of the disc is more problematic when it comes to interpreting its symbolism and practical function. Like the other two arcs it is known that this was a later addition to the ensemble of symbols. One rule of thought is that the arc represents the solar boat which is a feature of Indo-European mythology and symbolism found in Latvian, Greek and Hindu mythology and on many Scandinavian petroglyphs (see Chariot of the Sun and Other Rites and Symbols of the Northern Bronze Age by Peter Gelling and Hilda Ellis Davidson, 1969). The archaeologist, Mary Cahill (2015) draws a link between solar boat symbolism and the gold lunulae of the Bell Beaker culture. The subject of solar boat symbolism deserves an article specifically devoted to it which I intend to pen in the not too distant future.

The Nebra site is 25 miles northeast from the Goseck neolithic circle (also in Sachsen-Anhalt) which dates back to 4900BCE. I will discuss this circle in a future article. The disc is part of the Aunjetitzer or Unetice culture which is of particular interest to me personally, being genetically related to thirteen burials from this culture at Leubingen, Thüringen (Thuringia) from 1950BCE. Again, I may discuss these burials in a future article.