Discovery of “Extraterrestrial Metal” in a 2,700-Year-Old Tomb
In a 2,700-year-old tomb in Poland, a type of “extraterrestrial” metal found only in meteorites was discovered.
During excavations in ancient graves in Southern Poland, four artifacts containing metallic iron found only in meteorites were unearthed. Dating back to 750-600 BC, these artifacts were retrieved from two Early Iron Age cemeteries.
The excavation team used various techniques such as X-rays and electron beams to determine the components of the artifacts. The results showed high concentrations of smelted ore and meteoric iron that appeared to have come from a single space rock.
In particular, it was understood that the jewelry was made from ataxite meteorite, which has a mirror-like surface. Researchers noted that the iron sources deliberately mixed to create patterns in the artifacts could potentially be the oldest known version of patterned iron if confirmed.
SIMILAR FINDINGS IN TUTANKHAMUN’S TOMB
The use of such meteoric iron was a common practice thousands of years ago; for example, similar artifacts were found in Tutankhamun’s tomb as well. The discovery was made during examinations of two cemeteries in the collection of the Częstochowa Museum.
Upon reevaluation of artifacts analyzed in the 1960s, it was determined that they contained meteoric iron. The team emphasized that these findings are at the same level as discoveries made by archaeologists in ancient Egypt 5,000 years ago where many pieces were found. Following the discovery in Poland, researchers in Spain also made a similar finding in 2024. New analyses revealed gold-plated objects containing meteoric iron in the Villena Treasure found in 1963.
Researchers state that the composition of these artifacts from space, containing nickel and other chemical elements, indicates they originated from extraterrestrial sources.
