King Tut was buried with dagger made from a meteorite
Postmedia Network
First posted: Thursday, June 02, 2016 04:51 PM EDT | Updated: Thursday, June 02, 2016 05:11 PM EDT
A dagger found buried in King Tutankhamun's tomb was made with iron from a meteorite, researchers have discovered.
The researchers, who published their findings in the journal Meteoritics & Planetary Science, found the blade carried materials of "extraterrestrial origin" and "confirms that ancient Egyptians attributed great value to meteoritic iron for the production of precious objects."
According to their report, ancient Egyptian descriptions of the iron appeared around a century after young King Tut's death. They referred to it as the "iron of the sky."
"The sky was very important to the ancient Egyptians," British Egyptologist Joyce Tyldesley told Nature. "Something that falls from the sky is going to be considered as a gift from the gods."
While Bronze Age cultures extensively used copper, bronze, gold and other metals, the advent of iron-smithing hadn't yet happened.
"In this context, the high manufacturing quality of Tutankhamun's dagger blade is evidence of early successful iron smithing in the 14th C. BCE," the researchers write.
The 34 cm iron dagger was found wrapped on the king’s right thigh. (Daniela Comelli)
King Tut was buried with dagger made from a meteorite | World | News | Toronto S
Postmedia Network
First posted: Thursday, June 02, 2016 04:51 PM EDT | Updated: Thursday, June 02, 2016 05:11 PM EDT
A dagger found buried in King Tutankhamun's tomb was made with iron from a meteorite, researchers have discovered.
The researchers, who published their findings in the journal Meteoritics & Planetary Science, found the blade carried materials of "extraterrestrial origin" and "confirms that ancient Egyptians attributed great value to meteoritic iron for the production of precious objects."
According to their report, ancient Egyptian descriptions of the iron appeared around a century after young King Tut's death. They referred to it as the "iron of the sky."
"The sky was very important to the ancient Egyptians," British Egyptologist Joyce Tyldesley told Nature. "Something that falls from the sky is going to be considered as a gift from the gods."
While Bronze Age cultures extensively used copper, bronze, gold and other metals, the advent of iron-smithing hadn't yet happened.
"In this context, the high manufacturing quality of Tutankhamun's dagger blade is evidence of early successful iron smithing in the 14th C. BCE," the researchers write.
The 34 cm iron dagger was found wrapped on the king’s right thigh. (Daniela Comelli)
King Tut was buried with dagger made from a meteorite | World | News | Toronto S
