Sub-disc: A 5,000-year-old Egyptian stone carving that looks like a hub cap

This delicate stone container was discovered in 1936 at the grave of Sub. The discs were broken when they were discovered. It has since been rebuilt and is located in the collection of the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.

Sub’s Mastabu, a rectangular tomb with sloping walls and flat roofs, was excavated by British Egyptologist Walter Emery. In his publication describing Saqqara’s tomb, Emery writes that the burial chamber was plundered because of its jewels and precious metals. However, the skeleton of the sub was unharmed in a wooden ffin, and his tomb was filled with dozens of stones and ceramic containers, flint and copper tools, two cattle ruins, and a unique bowl.

Emery described the subdisc as a decorative tribe bowl measured 24 inches (61 cm) in diameter and 3.9 inches (10 cm) high. The bowl was carved from metasilt stone, a sedimentary rock that had undergone several metamorphosis.

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According to Egyptian archaeologist Ali El Couri, flat, wide stone bowls were common in the first to third dynasties of ancient Egypt. However, this particular bowl in the grave of Sub is unusual due to the three thinly carved curved wings rising from the edge of the disc. From above, this decoration suggests a modern steering wheel, propeller, or hub cap.

The unique design of the Sabu Disk has led to many theories about the purpose of the item, ranging from parts of the water turbine to parts of the hyperdrive from the alien spacecraft. One recent theory suggests that discs were used as containers to hold grain and hot water to make beer.

However, the most likely explanation is that the subdiscs had similar purpose to other broad flat bowls in ancient Egyptian culture. However, the delicate nature of the metasilt stones and sculpture suggests that the bowl may have been placed on the graves of Sub as everyday offerings.