Disk of Sabu
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The Disk of Sabu is an object from Ancient Egypt (1st Dynasty, c. 3000 to 2800 BC) found in 1936 in mastaba S3111 in the north of the Sakkara necropolis. This is the tomb of the ancient Egyptian official Sabu, after whom the object found there is also named. The function and meaning of the carefully crafted natural stone vessel are so far unclear.
Description, find history and classification[edit]
The artifact made of "slate" (a term formerly used in Egyptology for weakly metamorphic siltstone) has the shape of a shallow bowl with a diameter of 61 centimeters and a maximum height of 10.6 centimeters. In the center, it has a hole with a diameter of about 8 centimeters, with a socket whose height is approximately equal to the depth of the bowl. From the slightly raised outer rim, three "wings" or "lobes" are rotationally symmetrically folded inward, toward the central bore, with the outer rim preserved in the form of narrow arches that connect the non-folded portions. In plan view, it therefore resembles a steering wheel with three very wide spokes.
The tomb of Sabu was found on January 19, 1936, by the British archaeologist Walter Bryan Emery. It is a mastaba tomb consisting of a total of seven chambers. In "Room E", the central burial chamber, the "Sabu Disk" was found in a central position right next to the skeleton of Sabu, which was originally buried in a wooden coffin. The slate object was broken into several fragments and was later restored. It is currently displayed in a display case in Room 43 of the Egyptian Museum in Cairo with inventory number JE 71295. A copy of the artifact is on display in the Orient Pavilion of the Jungfrau Park founded by Erich von Däniken.
Finds of large, flat, stone bowls from the 1st to 3rd Dynasties are generally not uncommon. During this era of Ancient Egypt, the production of stone objects generally reached a peak, and several extremely high quality slate objects of similar date came to light at Sakkara. However, the "Sabu Disk", with its striking design, is considered a unique piece in Egyptology. The "Sabu Disk" is a unique piece in Egyptology.
Interpretation[edit]
The discoverer Walter Bryan Emery cautiously interpreted the artifact as a vessel placed on a stand due to the central hole - but no remains of such a vessel were found. However, it must be taken into account that Mastaba S3111 was not untouched at the time of Emery's discovery, but, like many other ancient Egyptian tombs, had been looted by tomb raiders centuries earlier. Since the production of a metal object shaped like the "Sabu Disk" would be simple, but very costly if made of easily splintered rock, it has been suggested that a metal object may have been imitated here in slate. In Egyptology, there is no unified explanation of the meaning of the object. Therefore, there are a variety of theories regarding the function and origin, which include pre-astronautics.
Possible meaning[edit]
The artefact might be:
a high advanced Ship's or aeroplane propeller,[1]
a fan wheel.[3]
At the Airbus research center, copies of the "Sabu disc" were made using a 3D printer and the physical properties of the shape were investigated. Basically, the copies showed aerodynamic properties, which is why they could also serve as a throwing disc. However, their radial symmetry (or non-chirality) precludes their use as propellers or turbines. It could also be shown that the use of the "Sabu disk" as an oil lamp was possible.[4]
Another theory from researchers in Rostock, Germany, says that the Sabu disc serves as a device for twisting together at least two yarns or twine. A twisted yarn has a much higher tensile strength than the non-twisted single yarns together. Furthermore, it is known that twisted yarns were already known in early antiquity (Neolithic/New Stone Age).[5] Underpinning this theory could be the fact that friction can generate high heat when guiding yarns, and that the Sabu disc is made of stone and thus insensitive to heat.
Also, the disk of Sabu might be an essential device for antique beer production.[6]
References[edit]
- ↑ "Prinz Sabus Geheimnis". atlantisforschung.de. 2016-07-28. Retrieved 2018-04-06.
- ↑ Zecharia Sitchin: The Stairway to Heaven. The Second Book of the Earth Chronicles. Bear & Co., Santa Fe 1992, ISBN 0-06-137920-4.
- ↑ Zecharia Sitchin: The Stairway to Heaven. The Second Book of the Earth Chronicles. Bear & Co., Santa Fe 1992, ISBN 0-06-137920-4.
- ↑ "Ungelöste Fälle der Archäologie (2/2): Brisante Funde". ZDF. 2018-04-01. Retrieved 2018-04-06.
- ↑ Barber, E. J. W. (1991). Prehistoric textiles: the development of cloth in the Neolithic and Bronze Ages with special reference to the Aegean. Princeton University Press. ISBN 0-691-00224-X
- ↑ Kato, A. (2021). The Tri-Lobed Disc in the Tomb of Sabu and the Basins at the Sun Temple Were for Beer. Archaeological Discovery, 10(1), 35-59.
Further reading[edit]
- George R. Hughes: The Oriental Institute Archeological Report on the Near East. First Quarter, 1937: Egypt and Nubia. In: The American Journal of Semitic Languages and Literatures. Band 53, Nummer 4, 1937, S. 257–262, hier S. 259 f. (vorläufiger Ausgrabungsbericht).
- Walter B. Emery: Great Tombs of the First Dynasty (Excavations at Saqqara). Band 1, Cairo Government Press, Kairo 1949, S. 101 und Tafel 40 (abschließender Ausgrabungsbericht).
- Ali El-Khouli: Egyptian Stone Vessels: Predynastic Period to Dynasty III. 3 Bände, von Zabern, Mainz 1978, ISBN 3-8053-0318-1/ Band 2, S. 730, Nr. 5586 (sehr knapper Katalogeintrag)/ Band 3, Tafel 135 (Zeichnung)/ Band 3, Tafel 158 (Fotografie); alle Bände englisch.
External links[edit]
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