The Unsolved Mystery of the Hat
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A remarkable find
The Museum of Prehistory and Early History in Berlin displays an unusual archaeological object whose mystery has still not been fully solved. At first glance it looks like a strange wand or a quiver for arrows, but most archaeologists believe it is a ceremonial hat.
Seen up close, the object really does resemble a tall conical hat with a brim. It is 745 millimetres high and weighs 490 grams. Ancient craftsmen hammered it from a single sheet of very thin, high-quality gold alloy (about 87.7% gold, with silver and other metals).
An ancient calendar
Horizontal bands with repeating patterns and symbols decorate the cone. Scientists have identified circles, crescents and almond- or eye-shaped motifs on its surface, and a star crowns the tip.
After studying the object and decoding its symbols, researchers concluded that the ornaments encode a lunisolar calendar. In ancient times such knowledge was an important tool for determining dates and seasons in both the lunar and the solar year. Creating such a work of art required remarkable skill from Bronze Age goldsmiths.
A unique acquisition
The Berlin museum acquired the hat in 1996 as an important Bronze Age artifact. According to the seller, it had belonged to an anonymous Swiss collector who assembled his collection in the 1950s and 1960s. Experts assume it was originally found in southern Germany or Switzerland, but further details remain unknown. Because it is so well preserved, it may have been carefully filled with earth or ash and buried upright in the ground.
The Berlin hat is one of four similar gold cones known in Europe, together with finds from Schifferstadt, Ezelsdorf-Buch and Avanton.
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