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I just completed the Nebra Sky Sisters sculpture. It is the third and final sculpture in the Nebra series. I’m very excited to be presenting it, as this sculpture entailed an exploration into its rich scientific and cultural history.

The Sordid History of the Nebra Sky Disk

This 3600-year-old Bronze Age artifact captured my imagination and gave me an opportunity to explore the Pleiades star constellation represented on its surface. Recently, a bitter archaeological feud has emerged regarding the accuracy of the age and even the location of its discovery in Germany. Some archaeologists are asserting that it is at least 1000 years younger placing it in the Iron Age. This debate rages on but does not dilute my love for this object nor its importance as an archaeological treasure.

Adding even more intrigue was the way it was discovered. The Nebra hoard (the sky disk, axes, swords, chisels and bracelets) was a plundered treasure.  In 1999, the hoard was unearthed by treasure hunters near Nebra, Germany. Realizing they couldn’t sell these legally, they sold all the items on the black market. The Nebra Sky Disk and the other items were recovered through a sting operation in 2002. The original looters were prosecuted, and the hoard was placed in the State Museum of Prehistory in Halle, Germany near Nebra. I think this is a movie in the making--starring Tom Hanks and titled The Nebra Sky Watchers. You heard it here.

The symbols on the surface of the Nebra Sky Disk have a story to tell. Archaeologists describe the obvious representations of the sun or full moon and a crescent moon that dominate the disk. The two golden arcs on the sides, that were added later, signify the angles of the solstice and equinox events. It is a calendar. Also added later is the arc at the bottom of the disk thought to represent an Egyptian solar barge moving through the sky. And finally, screaming out to me, was a very clear representation of the Pleiades star constellation.

LDA Sachsen-Anhalt (Photo by Jaraj Liptak)

Halle State Museum of Prehistory, Germany

The Rich Cultural History of the Pleiades and the Seven Sisters

The Pleiades star constellation shows up in many ancient cultures as timekeepers with their appearances in the northern and southern hemispheres signaling the start and end of the farming and seafaring seasons. They emerge in the traditions of the Maori of New Zealand, Australian Aborigines, Chinese, Maya and Aztec cultures. They also emerge in Hindu mythology. The Sioux peoples of North America associate the Pleiades at the Devils Tower in Wyoming with seven females pursued by a bear.

Across all of these cultural traditions and mythologies, the Pleiades are always female entities pursued by male entities--chased through the skies by the likes of Orion, the moon, the Gemini twins, the southern cross and the evening star.

The Greeks represented the seven sisters as the daughters of Atlas and Pleione. These fair nymphs caught the attention of nearby Orion and were pursued by him for years (or perhaps eons). A protective Zeus intervened and turned them into doves, casting them into the sky and immortalizing them as the Seven Sisters.

The Nebra Sky Sisters

A top-down view

I have truly enjoyed all this female energy, the mythology and history. The Greek mythology around these figures allowed me to personify each star into the Seven Sisters: Sterope, Merope, Electra, Maia, Taygete, Celaeno and Alcyone. Very soon, I will be presenting each of the Seven Sisters as individual pieces with their own individual stories.

On a personal note, we have added a new family member to our home…a puppy dog. Every night I go out with our dog to do his dog duty. I gaze up to the sky, find Orion’s belt and follow its line to the faint cluster of stars…The Pleiades. I give thanks that our cosmic paths have crossed.

For more information in The Nebra Sky Sisters and other available pieces, please visit my website www.kerrartworks.com