The Sun, Our Star: Ancient sun

Inspired by the Chariot of the Sun, a beautiful artefact of sun worship, Dava Sobel island hops in Denmark to explore the cult of the Sun, before science, during the Nordic Bronze Age. Ancient people would not have needed an eclipse to make them see the Sun as an all-powerful force. The Sun’s life-giving light and heat inspired rituals and relics dating back to the earliest humans.

Music composed by Chris O'Shaughnessy. Producer: Kate Bland and Kate Rea

Audio for this programme was updated on 9 September 2020.

(Photo: Chariot of the Sun. Credit: National Museum of Denmark)