Spanish smiths used meteorite metals 3,000 years ago, study suggests

New research led by Salvador Rovira-Llorens, former director of conservation at the National Archaeological Museum of Spain, reveals that metalworking in the Iberian Peninsula was more advanced than previously thought around 3,000 years ago. The study suggests that two artifacts from the Treasure of Villena—a matte bracelet and a hollow hemisphere—were forged not with metal from the Earth but with iron meteorite fallen from the sky.

The Treasure of Villena, discovered in the Valencia region of Spain in 1963 by José María Soler, is considered one of the most important collections of prehistoric treasure in Europe, consisting of 66 mostly golden artifacts. The gold objects that made up the bulk of the Treasure of Villena collection were dated to between 1500 and 1200 B.C., and archaeologists have long marveled at the intricate goldsmithing of this collection.

Establishing the Treasure of Villena's precise date has been challenging, with estimates spanning nearly a thousand years, from 1500 to 800 B.C. This dating challenge is partly due to the presence of the two iron artifacts. Suggestions for the Treasure's origin span from the High Bronze Age (1500–1300 B.C.) to the Late Bronze Age, around the 8th century B.C. Studies of similar finds, such as the Cabezo Redondo Treasure also discovered in 1963, provide clues that suggest both treasures may date to 1400–1200 B.C.

Upon discovery, these artifacts were described as having a "ferrous appearance," which seemed to contradict the known chronology of iron working in the region, which began around 850 B.C.

These artifacts posed a challenge because the Iron Age had not yet reached Iberia when the rest of the collection was produced, and they date back to the Late Bronze Age, approximately 1400-1200 B.C. Researchers hypothesized that these objects might have been forged with meteoritic iron, a material known and valued in other ancient cultures, such as the famous meteoritic iron dagger of Pharaoh Tutankhamun. This "strange metal" might have been among the most precious materials of the time.

The artifacts were analyzed using mass spectrometry, which detected a high nickel content typical of meteoritic iron. 

Meteoric iron is easily distinguished from terrestrial iron due to its higher nickel and lower carbon content, making it a rare and highly prized resource for Bronze Age artisans across various cultures. Such strange metal was not only a symbol of advanced metallurgy but also a cultural emblem, connecting ancient communities to the heavens.

Due to the corroded condition of the artifacts, the results aren't completely certain, but further tests should confirm their initial analysis.

Bronze Age peoples could harvest iron from meteorites to make weapons, tools, and decorative objects, and the practical advantages of meteoritic iron—such as its strength and lack of smelting requirements—likely held cultural and spiritual weight. Without the invention of the process called smelting, Bronze Age peoples couldn't use the iron they found, and iron was not commonly used in the region until later. 

The oldest known iron artifacts, a set of 5,000-year-old beads from northern Egypt, came from meteoric iron, reflecting similar techniques and values found in artifacts from Egypt and beyond.

"This result is compatible with a Late Bronze Age chronology, coinciding with the peak activity of the Cabezo Redondo settlement, preceding the beginning of the spread of terrestrial iron," the researchers wrote.

Sources: Scienze Notizie, Explorersweb, Dataconomy

This article was written in collaboration with generative AI company Alchemiq