Is it a miniature stonehenge you could carry around in your pocket? It’s sort of a prehistoric pocket watch. Some archeologists think it’s a fake, while others insist that it’s a real artifact that is 3,600 years old. It was recovered from the treasure hunters who found it in a “sting” operation in Switzerland. What is it?

Archeologists are trying to decide whether a Bronze Age disc called the “Nebra disc,” after the town where it was found in 1999, is one of the earliest known calendars. It is covered with symbols of the sun, moon and stars.

BBC News quotes archeologist Peter Schauer as saying, “German archaeologists don’t say clearly that this is a fake. They hide, thinking that the thunderstorm will blow over.”

To see an image of the disc, click here.

Most of the world now follows the Gregorian calendar, which was finalized in 1582, using some techniques from the ancient Mayan calendar makers. Not many people know that Ethiopia has its OWN calendar, which is seven years and eight months behind the one the rest of the world uses. It has 12 months of 30 days each and a 13th month of five or six days, depending on whether or not it’s a leap year.

Art credit: freeimages.co.uk

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