SCIENTISTS have discovered two ancient artifacts made from metal that’s not from Earth.
The unusual discovery was made 61 years after a hoard of Iberian Bronze Age treasure was unearthed in a gravel pit in Spain.
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The two artifacts in question are arguably the least fancy of all the pressure objects that make up the Treasure of Villena.
This treasure is considered one of the greatest golden hoards ever found dating back to the European Bronze Age.
It’s made up of 66 objects, including golden, silver, and amber items.
The two objects in question are made from iron and look fairly rusted compared to the other items.
One is an unassuming iron bracelet and the other is an iron-and-gold hemisphere.
The hemisphere object may have been part of a larger scepter, according to Science Alert.
Both these objects have made the Treasure of Villena hard to date.
Salvador Rovira-Llorens, the now-retired head of conservation at the National Archeological Museum Spain, led the investigation into these items.
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Researchers now think they’re made out of iron from meteorites and not from any metal that was collected on Earth.
They have published their findings in the journal Trabajos de Prehistoria.
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“The presence in the Villena Treasure (Alicante) of two pieces of iron, a hollow semisphere and an open bracelet or ring, has generated controversy around its chronology since its discovery in 1963.
“Data from new analyzes are presented, the results of which support in favor of both pieces being made of meteoritic iron, implying the possibility of locating their chronology at some point in the Late Bronze Age prior to the beginning of the production of terrestrial iron,” the researchers wrote.
The scientists hope further research will help confirm their findings.
In 1963, the Treasure of Villena was unearthed in Alicante in Spain.
“Discovered on December 1, 1963 by Mr. José María Soler, the Treasure of Villena is a spectacular set of 66 pieces of various metals made up of bowls, bracelets, bottles and various pieces of gold ornament, three silver bottles, an iron bracelet, another iron piece with gold ornaments and an amber and gold button.
“In total, a unique hoard of almost 10 kilos of gold, which was hidden 3,000 years ago and is considered the most important prehistoric treasure in Europe,” explains the website of Villena’s Archaeological Museum.
