Artefacts constructed of iron occurred in the archaeological record long before people could process iron from natural ores. These “out of place objects” have an extraterrestrial origin, even if they are not ancient aliens visiting Earth.
They’re made of iron bits that fell to Earth as meteorites. Early humans exploited meteoric iron in numerous places on the planet.
Artefacts made of meteoric iron, including ceremonial daggers, figurines, and jewellery, have been discovered in Turkey, Greece, Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Indonesia, Iran, Canada, Greenland, Russia, China, and North Africa. Iron beads discovered in a 6,000-year-old tomb preceded Egypt’s Iron Age by 2,000 years.
Archaeologists Discover Bronze Age Arrowheads Made Of ‘Alien Metal’
Credit: Arkeonews
So yes, only two archaeological artefacts of meteoric origin have been discovered in Central and Western Europe: a bracelet and an axe head from Poland. Archaeologists and geologists recently uncovered an arrowhead most likely composed of meteorite material.
The scientists employed electron microscopy, X-rays, and high-energy radiation analysis to determine the chemical composition of the used material, an iron-nickel-aluminium alloy. They compared the results to known meteorite samples.
The analyzed arrowhead is part of a group of bronze arrowheads discovered more than 100 years ago in the Swiss archaeological site of Mörigen and is now housed in the Bern History Museum. Mörigen, a late Bronze Age pile-dwelling previously located near the shores of a lake, piqued the researchers’ interest because of a reported meteorite fall nearby.
Credit: Arkeonews
The Twannberg iron meteorite, made up of three shards, is the largest meteorite ever discovered in Switzerland. Smaller parts of this meteorite were unearthed in prehistoric times and used to make the arrowhead in the adjacent town. However, the chemical characteristics did not match.
In broadening their investigation, the researchers discovered that the nickel and germanium concentrations in the Mörigen arrowhead are identical to those in the Kaalijarv meteorite from Estonia, a country in Northern Europe near the Baltic Sea.
This meteorite impact occurred roughly 3,500 years ago during the Bronze Age, resulting in many small bits. Perhaps it was even observed. The discovery and collection of such little iron particles appear far more likely than the discovery and collection of buried big meteorites.
Credit: Arkeonews
The connection between Estonia and Switzerland also indicates the presence of an ancient European network used to trade items such as amber as a gemstone, silex stones for tool manufacturing, and iron meteorites. The researchers now expect to locate similar artefacts in other archaeological collections.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn