24 May 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

A unique golden sun bowl was discovered during an archaeological survey in Ebreichsdorf, Austria

A golden sun bowl and several hundred bronze objects were discovered during archaeological excavations in a prehistoric settlement in today’s Ebreichsdorf in Austria.

Since September 2019, archaeologists have been excavating at Ebreichsdorf, where they discovered an ancient settlement dating from 1300-1000 BC, which experts have linked to the urn field culture (related to the cremation type of funeral rites).

The bowl was discovered next to the wall of one of the settlement’s prehistoric homes. The former craftsman even put an image of the sun’s rays to the bowl, which is adorned with a sun pattern. It has a diameter of 20 centimeters and a height of five centimeters. It is constructed of very thin sheet metal. 90% of it is gold, with the rest being silver and copper. Researchers are now trying to figure out where the basic ingredients used to smelt it came from.

Inside the bowl was coiled golden wire wrapped in organic material clumps that had been stitched with gold thread. The cloth might have been decorative scarves worn during religious rites to honor the sun, according to the research team.

golden sun bowl
Photo: Andreas Rausch

– This is the discovery of life for me – said the head of the excavations in Ebreichsdorf, Polish archaeologist Dr. Michał Sip from the Novetus company, commenting on the discovery of a golden treasure from thousands of years ago. – I have worked on several continents, including Egypt and Guatemala, but so far I have not been able to find anything similar – he added.

The bowl is the first of its kind found in Austria and the second to the east of the Alpine line. That single vessels of this type have so far been discovered in Spain, France, and Switzerland.

– Much more is known from the area of ​​northern Germany, Scandinavia and Denmark – because they were produced there – said the archaeologist Dr. Michał Sip. According to his estimates, more than thirty such bowls are known throughout Europe.

These are not the only remarkable finds in a prehistoric settlement. Up to 500 bronze artifacts, including pins, daggers, and knives, as well as different ceramic clay containers, shells, and animal bones, have been unearthed near the village since excavations began in 2019.

Photo: Andreas Rausch

The settlement unearthed in the region of today’s Ebreichsdorf was occupied by an archaeologist-defined society known as the ash field culture about 1300-1000 BC (this name is related to the cremation type of the funeral rite). It belonged to the Middle and Late Bronze Ages. The population had a sedentary existence and was involved in agriculture and animal husbandry, especially sheep.

This culture is also recognized for its remnants in modern Polish territories, and its unique, local variation is known as the Lusatian culture.

The bowl will be placed on display at the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, with excavations of the settlement site to continue for the next six months.

PAP

Cover Photo: Andreas Rausch

Related Articles

Hellenistic cremation tomb found in Istanbul’s Haydarpasa excavations

11 April 2022

11 April 2022

A brick tomb belonging to the Hellenistic period (330 BC – 30 BC) was found during the Haydarpaşa excavations, which...

A Rare Bilingual Inscription Discovered in Saudi Arabia’s Tabuk Province

28 June 2024

28 June 2024

Saudi Arabia’s Heritage Commission announced the discovery of a rare bilingual inscription in the village of Alqan in the Tabuk...

A new study in Portugal suggests that mummification in Europe may be older than previously thought

3 March 2022

3 March 2022

New research on the hunter-gatherer burial sites in the Sado Valley in Portugal, dating to 8,000 years ago, suggests that...

16th-Century Compass Possibly Belonging to Nicolaus Copernicus Unearthed in Poland’s Frombork

8 August 2024

8 August 2024

Researchers have discovered a 16th-century compass that is thought to have been used by astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus in the canonical...

Archaeologists may have discovered lost settlement of Apancalecan in Mexico

3 August 2023

3 August 2023

Archaeologists from the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) in Guerrero discovered a prehistoric settlement spread across 29 hectares...

Hundreds Of Mummified Bees inside their Cocoons from the Time of the Pharaohs found in Portugal

25 August 2023

25 August 2023

Hundreds of mummified bees inside their cocoons have been found on the southwest coast of Portugal, in a new paleontological...

Ancient Synagogue found in Turkey’s popular tourist center Side

27 December 2021

27 December 2021

A 7th-century ancient synagogue has been found in Side, a resort town on Turkey’s Mediterranean coast. The synagogue found was...

Key Silla Kingdom Palace Site Found in South Korea After Decade-Long Probe

11 February 2025

11 February 2025

A decade-long investigation conducted by the Korea Heritage Service has uncovered a crucial palace site of the Silla Kingdom (57...

3600 years old Unique ancient drinking bowls on display at Boğazkale Museum

15 August 2021

15 August 2021

The 3,600-year-old fist-shaped drinking bowls found in excavations in Hattusa, the capital of the Hittite Civilization, which shaped the Anatolian...

Remarkable Roman Villa Full of Strange Artifacts Discovered from a Bronze Age Site in England

3 April 2024

3 April 2024

Archaeologists have uncovered a “richly decorated” remarkable Roman villa complex during excavations at Brookside Meadows in Grove, a village in...

2-Meter-Long Stone Block Found at 12,000-Year-Old Boncuklu Tarla Site in Southeastern Türkiye

18 December 2024

18 December 2024

A remarkable 2-meter by 20-centimeter processed stone block was discovered during the archaeological excavations at Boncuklu Tarla (Beaded Field), which...

Roman era total of 46 early settler burials discovered in Germany

17 September 2023

17 September 2023

Students from Goethe University Frankfurt, in collaboration with the Hesse archeology department at the Darmstadt branch of the State Monument...

A collection of 430 burial objects found in the tomb of a 3000-year-old Noblewoman in China

11 April 2024

11 April 2024

A tomb belonging to a noblewoman dating back about 3,000 years has been unearthed in North China’s Shanxi Province. The...

Newly Discovered Two Fortress Settlements and a New Type of Open-Air Temple in Eastern Anatolia Region of Türkiye

26 March 2024

26 March 2024

Two fortress settlements and two new open-air temples were discovered during a survey in Tunceli province in the Eastern Anatolia...

Early Female Emperors in Japan “Empress Kōken”

2 July 2021

2 July 2021

Born into the aristocratic Fujiwara clan, this extraordinary woman first ascended to the throne as Empress Kōken and became the...