According to a new study, the dagger, which once belonged to Pharaoh Tutankhamen, has a strange alien composition.

Scientists agree that metalworking plays an extremely important role in the development of human civilization, which historians have conventionally divided into ancient periods, known as the "metal age". Gradually, the use of copper, bronze and iron is taken into account. However, it is clear that there are usually significant delays between these times. In particular, the beginning of the Iron Age has been discussed for a long time. Ancient Egypt had large reserves of minerals. Wide desert areas, such as the Eastern Desert, are dotted with mines and quarries that have been used since ancient times. Copper, bronze and gold have been used since the 4th millennium BC. Despite the abundance of iron ore in ancient Egypt, iron began to be used in everyday life in the Nile Valley later than in neighboring countries. The first mention of iron smelting dates back to the 1st millennium BC.

King Tutankhamun, who ruled the land of the Pharaohs from. from 1336 to 1327 BC, it never ceases to amaze the archaeological community. Archaeologists have discovered that the iron blade of the dagger, which once belonged to little Pharaoh when he was a boy, is made of material derived from a meteorite. A scientific study conducted by Italian-Egyptian scientists used X-ray fluorescence to analyze the dagger and found that the dagger dates from the 14th century BC

Scientists have finally solved the mystery of one of the two daggers found next to Pharaoh's body. One of them comes from space, or rather, the metal plate forming the dagger was made of fragments of a meteorite.

In fact, the ancient Egyptians knew of metal from another world. Ancient texts say about metal that came from heaven. In previous studies, researchers have written: "The terrestrial or extraterrestrial origins of ancient Egyptian iron and the time when it became commonly used are controversial topics that are the subject of discussion. We draw on evidence from many areas, including architecture, language and religion. "

New study published in Meteorics and Planetary Science (American popular science journal) confirms what scientists speculated for years.

Interestingly, the scientific debate over the origin of the metal of one of the two daggers found on Tutankhamun's body began immediately after the tomb was discovered in November 1922 by Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon. These discussions are very justified. Ancient Egyptian artifacts made from similar elements were extremely rare. The Egyptians did not develop the metallurgy typical of the early periods of history. Therefore, these findings are considered rarer than gold, as explained by Francesco Porcelli, professor of physics at the Polytechnic of Turin.

The high quality of the dagger technology from the start surprised the experts who accepted the theory that it reflected the level of iron processing achieved during the Tutankhamun times.

Pharaoh's dagger aroused the curiosity of scientists from the beginning. The details of the find indicated the dagger as an incredibly rare artifact. It measures 35 cm and at the time of the finding, together with Tutankhamun's mummy, it was absolutely without cut.

A new study says: “In addition to the Mediterranean region, in other ancient cultures, the meteorite fall was perceived as a divine message. It is common knowledge that other civilizations around the world, including the Inuit, ancient civilizations in Tibet, Syria, and Mesopotamia, as well as prehistoric people living in eastern North America from 400 BC to 400 CE (Hopewell culture), used meteorite metals to make small tools and ceremonial objects. "

Porcelli explains how scientists discovered that the dagger is made of metals originating from space. Studies have shown that dagger iron contains 10% by weight of nickel and 0,6% of cobalt. "It corresponds to the typical composition of meteorites. It is impossible to think that this could be the result of an alloy with these element ratios, ”says Porcelli. This study finally subsided the controversy over the dagger and its curious manufacturing process.