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When you look at the Moon, what do you see? Since ancient times, the Moon has ignited our imaginations, as Rebecca Boyle demonstrates in her history of Earth's relationship to its closest neighbor. In mythologies and legends, it has been seen as a canvas depicting a rabbit and a jovial man's features, among other things. It has been with us since the beginning, so of course we crafted its likeness as soon as we were able. Through the ages, human art related to the Moon has helped us understand our celestial companion as well as each other.
An early example is the Nebra Sky Disk, circa 1800-1600 BCE. A stunning piece of copper and bronze with an image depicting the Moon, sun, and "Seven Sisters" constellation, it "displays the world's earliest known concrete representation of astronomical phenomena," according to archaeologists. It was created with precise, careful skill and may have been used for agricultural time-keeping.
The last Babylonian king, Nabonidus, was another subject...
