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59-462: Two golden arcs that were along the sides are thought to mark the angle between the solstices , one now is missing. Another arc at the bottom with internal parallel lines is usually interpreted as a solar boat with numerous oars, although some authors have also suggested that it may represent a rainbow , the Aurora Borealis , a comet, or a sickle . In 1999, the disc was found buried on

118-611: A Naumburg court in September 2003. They appealed, but the Appeals Court raised their sentences to six and twelve months, respectively. The discovery site is a prehistoric enclosure encircling the top of a 252 metres (827 ft) elevation in the Ziegelroda Forest , known as Mittelberg ("central hill"), some 60 kilometres (37 mi) west of Leipzig . The surrounding area is known to have been settled in

177-512: A 30% female share. Freiberg is a highly international university. Among its c. 3500 students, 41% are from foreign countries. There are double degree agreements with universities in China, France, Ghana, Italy, Poland, Russia, Thailand, and others. About 30% of the doctoral degrees awarded by the university are given to foreign students. Unlike other historical universities in Germany, TUBAF has

236-461: A campus with most of its buildings and facilities in close proximity. The oldest buildings lie in the historic (medieval) city center, among these the The majority of the university's infrastructure can be found in the north of the city, including The two main parts are connected by a so-called 'corridor' of recent buildings and greenery. Additionally, a part of the university is located above and around

295-476: A cult object, the disc had already been "published" approximately 3,500 years earlier in the Bronze Age and that consequently, all protection of intellectual property associated with it has long expired. The plaintiff, on the other hand, argued that the editio princeps of the disc is recent, and according to German law protected for 25 years, until 2027. Another argument concerned the question of whether

354-529: A dig at the site and uncovered evidence that supported the looters' claims. There were traces of bronze artefacts in the ground, and the soil at the site matched soil samples found clinging to the artefacts. The disc and its accompanying finds are held by the State Museum of Prehistory in Halle , Saxony-Anhalt , Germany . The two looters received sentences of four months and ten months, respectively, from

413-549: A license and knew their activity constituted looting and was illegal. Archaeological artefacts are the property of the state in Saxony-Anhalt. They damaged the disc with their spade and destroyed parts of the site. The next day, Westphal and Renner sold the entire hoard for 31,000  DM to a dealer in Cologne . The hoard changed hands, probably several times, within Germany during the next two years, being sold for up to

472-460: A million DM. By 2001 knowledge of its existence had become public. In February 2002, the state archaeologist, Harald Meller, acquired the disc in a police-led sting operation in Basel from a couple who had put it on the black market for 700,000 DM. The original finders were eventually traced. In a plea bargain, they led police and archaeologists to the discovery site. Archaeologists opened

531-758: A multimedia visitor centre was opened near the discovery site at Nebra. The disc is part of the permanent exhibition in the Halle State Museum of Prehistory (Landesmuseum für Vorgeschichte) in Halle . The disc was on display at the British Museum in London as part of The World Of Stonehenge Exhibition from 17 February to 17 July 2022. The disc was on display at the Drents Museum in Assen from 6 August to 18 September 2022. In November 2021,

590-588: A need for mining, as an industry to regenerate Saxony's economy, since Saxony had been defeated in the Seven Years' War . Before the establishment of the Bergakademie (mining school), four similar institutions had been founded in other countries: Potosí , Bolivia (1557–1786); Kongsberg, Norway (1757–1814); Schemnitz , today's Slovakia ( Banská Štiavnica , 1762–1919); and Prague (1762–1772). Since these do not exist anymore, Freiberg University

649-670: A notable work of art may be registered as a trademark in the first place. The Magdeburg court decided in favour of the State of Saxony-Anhalt. The case was appealed and on the basis of decisions from the Oberlandesgericht Düsseldorf in 2005 and the Federal Court of Justice in 2009, the initial ruling was overturned and the German Patent and Trademark Office withdrew the trademark rights. Thereafter,

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708-569: A public university, it has a relatively large private endowment. The university is home to one of the largest German university foundations. TU Bergakademie Freiberg is led by a rectorate, legislative decisions are made by the senate or extended senate. The rectorate consists of rector, chancellor, and two prorectors for Education and Research, respectively. The university has 6 subdivisions called faculties: In winter 2022/23 3,471 students were enrolled at TUBAF, 85% in MINT-programs, with

767-815: A replica of the Nebra Sky Disc was launched to the International Space Station on the Crew-3 mission, taken by German astronaut Matthias Maurer . Maurer, who was part of the European mission Cosmic Kiss, designed the mission's patch with inspiration from the Nebra Sky Disk, as well as the Pioneer plaques and Voyager Golden Records that were sent into the unknown carrying messages from Earth. The state of Saxony-Anhalt registered

826-418: A science, called 'geognosis'. Thus, he laid the foundation for mineralogy and resource deposit theory. During his tenure, he attracted a wide range of students and peers, among them Alexander von Humboldt , Franz Xaver von Baader , Leopold von Buch , Friedrich Mohs , and Robert Jameson . Wilhelm August Lampadius (1772–1842) was a professor of chemistry and metallurgy. He installed the first gas light on

885-543: A so-called ekasilicon. In the field of process engineering , Erich Rammler and Georg Bilkenroth were awarded the National Prize of the German Democratic Republic (1st class) for their work on lignite coke & coal gasification in 1951. The university has defined core fields that create a unique profile in education and research: Exploring, researching, and (resourceful) use of

944-590: A university strong point. In March 1993, then Technische Hochschule Bergakademie Freiberg was renamed Technische Universität Bergakademie Freiberg , underlining its increased status and significance. Today, TUBAF is a modern & environmentally focused university, internationally recognized as a "university of closed resource cycles". The university's history is presented in the Historicum through numerous exhibits, paintings and photographs, and documents. The Forum for Mining History ( Forum Montangeschichte )

1003-440: Is a public university of technology with 3,471 students in the city of Freiberg , Saxony , Germany . The university's focuses are exploration , mining & extraction , processing, and recycling of natural resources & scrap , as well as developing new materials and researching renewable energies. It is highly specialized and proficient in these fields. Today, it is the oldest university of mining and metallurgy in

1062-467: Is equal in length to 33 lunar years (with an error of only two days). That is, 32 x 365 = 11680 days, and 33 x 354 = 11682 days. This 32 solar-year cycle may be represented on the disc by 32 stars, plus the sun (or full moon), adding up to 33. The archaeologist Christoph Sommerfeld has argued that the disc encodes knowledge of the 19-year lunisolar Metonic cycle . According to Sommerfeld the Metonic cycle

1121-572: Is performance-based and without tuition fees (as usual for consecutive studies at German public universities); students pay a registration fee of €94 per semester, of which €7 is dedicated solely to the Student Body (Council). 13 masters programs (date: WS 2022/23) are taught in English: Freiberg University of Mining and Technology has been ranked among the best universities worldwide for mining engineering . Though

1180-1059: Is recognized worldwide for its expertise in geo and materials science. TUBAF is in the Top 10 of universities in Germany based on thrd-party (private) funding per professor, according to a 2022 study. A number of patents and inventions by TUBAF-based researchers are recognized each year. With SAXEED , a founders network, start-ups are being supported. The program has helped several successful companies like NaPaGen GmbH , Just in Time-Food GmbH and Rockfeel GmbH. The university offers programs taught in German, as well as international programs entirely taught in English. All in all, there are 75 programs. Among those are unique ones, such as Applied Natural Sciences, Industrial Archeology, Mine-Surveying, and Chemistry (Diplom), which are taught in German. Admission to all programs from Bachelor through Ph.D.

1239-506: Is responsible for digitizing and publishing historic essays and publications concerning Saxony's historical mining and metallurgical industry. A number of known figures studied and/or lectured at the Bergakademie: Abraham Gottlob Werner (1749–1817) was a highly influential lecturer and scientist, who systematized minerals and rock formations. He is considered the founder of an early form of geology as

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1298-570: Is similarly encoded on the disc of the Trundholm sun chariot , dating from c. 1500 BC. The Metonic cycle is also thought to be encoded on the Late Bronze Age Berlin Gold Hat , which features a band of 19 " star and crescent " symbols. Some authors have argued that the number of pin holes around the rim of the disc (approximately 38 to 40) has an astronomical significance. The exact number is not known due to damage to

1357-437: Is the oldest and still operational University of Mining and Technology. After the École des Ponts et Chaussées , which was established in 1747, it is also the second oldest institution of higher learning with focus on STEM-research ( university of technology ). The chemical elements indium (1863) and germanium (1886) were discovered by scientists of Freiberg University. The polymath Alexander von Humboldt studied mining at

1416-434: The Bergakademie from 1791 to 1792, as did the poet Novalis from 1797 to 1799. In 1899, it was incorporated as a Technische Hochschule . In 1905, Bergakademie gained the right to grant doctorates in engineering (Dr.-Ing.), and in 1939 for natural sciences (Dr. rer. nat.). In 1940, two novel faculties (divisions) where established: Natural Sciences and Mining & Metallurgy. In 1956, another faculty concerning economy

1475-550: The Goseck circle and Stonehenge , had already been used to mark the solstices, the disc presents this knowledge in the form of a portable object. The disc may have had both a practical astronomical purpose as well as a religious significance. The depiction of the Pleiades on the disc in conjunction with a crescent moon has been interpreted as representing a calendar rule for synchronising solar and lunar calendars , enabling

1534-526: The Kivik King's Grave in Sweden, dating from the sixteenth to fifteenth centuries BC. Archaeoastronomist Emília Pásztor has argued against a practical astronomical function for the disc. According to Pásztor "the close agreement of the length of the peripheral arcs with the movement of the sun's risings or settings might be a pure coincidence". This claim is undermined by the finding of a similar feature on

1593-577: The Neolithic era, and Ziegelroda Forest contains approximately 1,000 barrows . At the enclosure's location, the sun seems to set every summer solstice behind the Brocken , the highest peak of the Harz mountains, some 80 kilometres (50 mi) to the northwest. The treasure hunters claimed the artefacts were discovered within a pit inside the bank-and-ditch enclosure. Axes and swords found buried with

1652-857: The West German system of higher education, Bergakademie quickly found a prime position as "The University of Resources". As the first East German University, it joined the German Research Foundation . In connection, the social sciences section were eliminated, while a faculty for economics was restructured and expanded to 15 professorships. One of the emerging focus points in research was semiconductors , which led to corporations settling in and around Freiberg. These include Siltronic AG , Meyer Burger Technology AG , and JT Energy Systems, specializing in semiconductors, solar power , and lithium-ion batteries , respectively. Besides geo- and materials sciences , environmental science became

1711-822: The Wikimedia Foundation , subsequently filed a DMCA counter-notice stating that since the implementation of Article 14 of the Directive 2019/790 of the European Parliament , there can be no such copyrights on reproductions of visual works that are in the public domain. 51°17′02″N 11°31′12″E  /  51.28389°N 11.52000°E  / 51.28389; 11.52000 Angles Angles most commonly refers to: Angles may also refer to: Freiberg University of Mining and Technology The Technische Universität Bergakademie Freiberg (abbreviation: TU Bergakademie Freiberg, TUBAF)

1770-608: The "Lehr- und Forschungsbergwerk Reiche Zeche", a historical mine, operated today as a teaching and research facility. Other infrastructure includes the university sports centre, Lessing-Bau and the Scientific Diving Center. Through its specialization, TUBAF has created a number of institutions, centers, and facilities with state-of-the-art research equipment. Unique in Europe is the still operational mine for teaching as well as underground exploration research. TUBAF

1829-464: The European continent and advanced the technology to an industrial scale. Also, Lampadius founded the world's first chemical research laboratory in a university in 1796/97. The poet Novalis (1772–1801; Georg Philipp Friedrich von Hardenberg) studied in Freiberg from 1797 through 1799. He also created his pseudonym for his literary works during this time. Many topics and themes of his work came from

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1888-670: The Mittelberg hill near Nebra in Germany . It is dated by archaeologists to c.  1800–1600 BC and attributed to the Early Bronze Age Unetice culture . Various scientific analyses of the disc, the items found with the disc, and the find spot have confirmed the Early Bronze Age dating. The Nebra sky disc features the oldest concrete depiction of astronomical phenomena known from anywhere in

1947-531: The Nebra disc and Bush Barrow lozenge may be linked to the solar calendar reconstructed by Alexander Thom from his analysis of standing stone alignments in Britain. Both the Nebra sky disc and Bush Barrow lozenge were made with gold from Cornwall , providing a direct link between them. According to the archaeologist Sabine Gerloff the gold plating technique used on the Nebra sky disc also originated in Britain, and

2006-570: The Nebra disc than in Babylonia. Baltic amber beads have been found in a foundational deposit under the large ziggurat of Aššur in Iraq dating from c. 1800-1750 BC, indicating that a connection existed between both regions when the Nebra disc was created. However some Assyriologists and astronomers have rejected the comparison of the Nebra Disc with MUL.APIN. The number of stars depicted on

2065-455: The access to college was directed by central authorities. Additionally, children of "workers & farmers", who traditionally didn't pursued tertiary education , were supported by having a college preparation institute ( Arbeiter-und-Bauern-Fakultät (ABF) "Wilhelm Pieck"). In the aftermath of German reunification , the infrastructure and academic body were reorganized in order to fit the new political circumstances. After its incorporation into

2124-792: The arguments of Gebhard and Krause. Scientific analyses of the disc, the items found with the disc, and the find spot have all confirmed the Early Bronze Age dating. The disc was the centre of an exhibition entitled Der geschmiedete Himmel (German "The forged sky"), showing 1,600 Bronze Age artefacts, including the Trundholm sun chariot , shown at Halle from 15 October 2004 to 22 May 2005, from 1 July to 22 October 2005 in Copenhagen , from 9 November 2005 to 5 February 2006 in Vienna , from 10 March to 16 July 2006 in Mannheim , and from 29 September 2006 to 25 February 2007 in Basel . On 21 June 2007,

2183-570: The bronze was also of Cornish origin. As preserved, the disc was developed in four stages: The find is regarded as reconfirming that the astronomical knowledge and abilities of the people of the European Bronze Age included close observation of the yearly course of the Sun and the angle between its rising and setting points at the summer and winter solstices . While much older earthworks and megalithic astronomical complexes , such as

2242-619: The creation of a lunisolar calendar . This rule is known from an ancient Babylonian collection of texts with the title MUL.APIN . According to one of the seven rules in the compendium, a leap month should be added when the Pleiades appear next to a crescent moon a few days old in the spring, as depicted on the disc. This conjunction occurs approximately every three years. Harald Meller suggests that knowledge of this rule may have come from Babylonia to Central Europe through long-distance trade and contacts, despite it being attested earlier on

2301-404: The disc (32) is also thought to be significant, possibly encoding the calendar rule numerically. Firstly, the conjunction of lunar crescent and Pleiades depicted on the disc occurs after 32 days following the last "new light" (the first visible crescent moon of the month), and not before. Secondly, because a lunar year (354 days) is eleven days shorter than a solar year (365 days), 32 solar years

2360-419: The disc as a trademark , which resulted in two lawsuits. In 2003, Saxony-Anhalt successfully sued the city of Querfurt for depicting the disc design on souvenirs. Saxony-Anhalt also successfully sued the publishing houses Piper and Heyne over an abstract depiction of the disc on book covers. The Magdeburg court assessed the case's relevance according to German copyright law . The defenders argued that as

2419-459: The disc in his own hands, unlike the eighteen scientists who had examined the disc. Scientific analyses of the patina (or corrosion layer) have confirmed its authenticity. Richard Harrison, professor of European prehistory at the University of Bristol , stated in a BBC documentary that "When I first heard about the Nebra Disc I thought it was a joke, indeed I thought it was a forgery", due to

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2478-410: The disc were dated typologically to c.  1700 –1500 BCE. Remains of birch bark found in the sword hilts have been Radiocarbon dated to between 1600 and 1560 BCE, confirming this estimate. This corresponds to the date of burial, at which time the disc had likely been in existence for several generations. Analyses of metal radioactivity and the corrosion layer on the disc further support

2537-529: The disc. The Nebra disc has been compared to a passage from the Greek poet Hesiod in Works and Days , written around 700 BC: "When the Pleiades, daughters of Atlas, are rising, begin your harvest, and your ploughing when they are going to set. Forty nights and days they are hidden and appear again as the year moves round, when first you sharpen your sickle. This is the law of the plains, and of those who live near

2596-695: The early Bronze Age dating. According to an initial analysis of trace elements by x-ray fluorescence by E. Pernicka, then at the University of Freiberg , the copper originated at Bischofshofen in Austria, whilst the gold was thought to be from the Carpathian Mountains . A more recent analysis found that the gold used in the first development phase (see below) was from the River Carnon in southern Cornwall in England. The tin present in

2655-421: The energy sector is another topic. Environmental sciences focus on safety and conservation aspects, e.g. of drinking water, as well as on processes in the primary and energy industry. Engineers work on future-oriented solutions, novel products, and optimization of already existing processes & methods. Their studies include applied research as well as foundational questions. Economic topics arise from all of

2714-438: The extraordinary nature of the find, although he had not seen the sky disc at the time. The same documentary presented scientific analyses confirming the authenticity of the disc. A paper published in 2020 by Rupert Gebhard and Rudiger Krause questioned the Early Bronze Age dating of the Nebra disc and proposed a later Iron Age date instead. A response paper was published in the same year by Ernst Pernicka and colleagues, rejecting

2773-477: The fields mentioned above. Therefore, researchers in this field work on projects in pure economic disciplines and interdisciplinary projects alike. TUBAF describes itself as a modern research university, especially focused on current and future ecological and econonmical challenges. Interdisciplinary research is emphasized. Most investigated topics revolve around alternative methods in resource extraction, energy systems, compound materials and recycling. The university

2832-415: The mining culture surrounding him. The polymath Alexander von Humboldt enrolled on 14 June 1791 and went through a rather short, but intense program, qualifying him in natural sciences and metallurgy. He took a special interest in developing appliances, such as the "Licht-Erhalter". One of Humboldt's most famous discoveries was the vegetation underground, published in 1793 as "Flora Fribergensis". Many of

2891-402: The plants described were discovered and characterized by him. 1848 to 1851, Gustav Anton Zeuner studied in Freiberg. He later went on to lay the groundwork for thermodynamics as field of study in engineering. Karl Heinrich Adolf Bernhard Ledebur was one of the first to study processes in metallurgy and ironwork empirically with modern scientific tools and methods. During his tenure, he founded

2950-464: The roughly contemporary gold lozenge from Bush Barrow at Stonehenge , where the acute angles of the overall design (81°) are equal to the angle between the solstices at the latitude of Stonehenge. According to Euan MacKie (2009) "The Nebra disc and the Bush Barrow lozenge both seem to be designed to reflect the annual solar cycle at about latitude 51° north." MacKie further suggests that both

3009-462: The sea, and who inhabit rich country, the glens and hollows far from the tossing sea,—strip to sow and strip to plough and strip to reap, if you wish to get in all Demeter's fruits in due season, and that each kind may grow in its season." A depiction of a sun and crescent moon similar to the Nebra disc appears on a gold signet ring from Mycenae in Greece, dating from the fifteenth century BC. Beneath

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3068-570: The state of Saxony-Anhalt registered the design of the disc as a trademark with the European Union Intellectual Property Office. In 2023, the state of Saxony-Anhalt filed a DMCA take down notice requesting removal of nine images of the Nebra sky disc from Wikimedia Commons , asserting that they were the "owner of the exclusive copyright in the Sky Disk of Nebra". Wikimedia Deutschland , a chapter of

3127-662: The sun and moon is a seated female figure holding three opium poppies in her hand, she is identified as a goddess of nature and fertility, with a double-axe and celestoal symbols, possibly the Minoan poppy goddess , or an early form of the goddess Demeter . Opium poppy has also been found in settlements of the Unetice culture. According to Kristiansen and Larsson (2005), imagery similar to that found on Mycenaean signet rings also appears in Nordic Bronze Age petroglyphs from

3186-538: The system Earth is the focal point of TUBAF's geosciences. The work is based on innovative and novel technologies, e.g. for finding resources, extracting them without unnecessary destruction, and resourceful processing. Innovative materials for today's problems and uses are being developed. This includes the making, as well as recycling of these materials. In this field, scientists develop new, green solutions to energy problems. Production, use, and storage of energy are researched in conjunction. Additionally, digitisation of

3245-482: The university's iron laboratory. In 1863, the chemical element indium was discovered by chemist Hieronymus Theodor Richter (1824–1898) and physicist Ferdinand Reich (1799–1882), naming it after its indigo-blue colored flame. In 1886, chemistry professor Clemens Alexander Winkler (1838–1904) isolated the element germanium for the first time while analyzing the rather uncommon mineral argyrodite . This proved Dmitri Mendeleev 's periodic table and his prediction of

3304-631: The world. The institution was established in 1765, during the Age of Enlightenment , by Prince Francis Xavier of Saxony based on plans by Friedrich Wilhelm von Oppel and Friedrich Anton von Heynitz . At the time, it was called the Kurfürstlich-Sächsische Bergakademie zu Freiberg (by 1806: Königlich-Sächsische Bergakademie zu Freiberg ). Its main purpose was the education of highly skilled miners and scientists in fields connected to mining and metallurgy. There had developed

3363-579: The world. In June 2013, it was included in the UNESCO Memory of the World Register and termed "one of the most important archaeological finds of the twentieth century." The disc, together with two bronze swords , two sets of remains of axes , a chisel , and fragments of spiral armbands were discovered in 1999 by Henry Westphal and Mario Renner while they were treasure-hunting with a metal detector. The detectorists were operating without

3422-482: Was added. After World War II , education of future engineers and scientists, as well as research were quickly re-established in order to (re-) build primary industry in the Soviet Occupation Zone / GDR . The campus and faculty-staff were expanded rapidly. The educational direction changed through establishing novel courses. Also, the student demographics changed (percentage of women increased), since

3481-498: Was introduced from there to the continent. There were some initial suspicions that the disc might be an archaeological forgery . Peter Schauer of the University of Regensburg, Germany, argued in 2005 that the Nebra disc was a fake and that he could prove that the patina of the disc could have been created with urine, hydrochloric acid , and a blow torch within a short amount of time. He had to admit in court that he had never held

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