19.2.1922 Mysterious silver 5000 year old disc

One hundred years ago, workers discovered a 5000-year-old disc near Štramberk. It was a very interesting piece for collectors, so the artifact ended up in a private collection. Only five years ago it was examined by experts from the Museum of the Novojičín Region.

They found the disc specifically at Kotouč near Štramberk. In the past, this location became an important archaeological site. But it disappeared as a result of limestone mining. A summary of the local settlement was given by Jan Knies in 1929.

According to the experts, the silver pucca dates back to the Eneolithic period. The Museum of the Novojičín Region acquired this artefact in 1964. Pavel Stabrava, the curator of the archaeology collection, revealed that only the workers themselves were present when the disc was retrieved and they also found other artefacts. Supposedly, they also discovered a bronze pendant in the same place.

"They found that the find has a very interesting commercial potential. So the objects became part of private collections, they were sold to all kinds of parties and certainly some things remain in private possession to this day," Stabrava said.

Five years ago, experts from the museum researched the exact composition of the material from which the disc was made. It is 214 millimetres in diameter and weighs over 200 grams. It was made of silver. It comes from a period when silver was very rare and its processing was not common.

"Copper and gold were still present in trace amounts," said Martin Hložek, from the Technical Museum in Brno.

The disc was probably worn on the chest during a ritual or hung on an idol or object. Interestingly, until 2012, the disc was the oldest man-made silver piece in a location north of the Alps. A similar artefact was then found in Vanovice near Boskovice.

The disc found near Štramberk was subsequently acquired by the Šipka Museum, which was established in the building of former meat shops. "We have here the oldest silver artefact in our country - in the Transalpine region," rejoiced the thinTereza Mikundová, a guide and archaeologist, was delighted to have acquired the disc, which used to be a badge of power and exceptionalism of the local rulers.

Sources: www.polar.cz, www.aha.cz, www.wikipedia.org