Calendar of Events

Black on White: the Riddle of the Stone Age Discs from the Blue Valley

Date
Kind of Event
Exhibition
Country
Germany
Era(s)

Since 2011 they have been part of the UNESCO World Heritage “ Prehistoric Pile Dwellings Around the Alps ”, the ruins of a 6000-year-old Neolithic village in the Blue Valley near Ehrenstein near Ulm.

Among the numerous salvaged objects made of stone, bones, antlers and ceramics, one finding group is particularly striking: flat, almost round disks of various sizes made of limestone with a double perforation in the middle. On one side they are marginal with straight or closed Triangular patterns decorated with rays. These were originally filled with a black paste, so that the patterns came into their own. In addition to finished specimens, often with signs of wear, there are plenty of blanks and unfinished pieces. Apparently these discs were only made and used in this village.

To this day, they still pose a mystery to archaeological research: the exhibition shows a representative cross-section of the approximately 200 discs and - also with the help of experimental archeology - explores the exciting question of their interpretation and use.