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A dazzling Bronze Age hoard discovered in Spain more than 60 years ago comprise some out - of - this - world metallic element , as a new depth psychology reveals that parts of the treasure were made from meteorologic iron .
The stash , known as the Treasure of Villena and discovered by archeologist in 1963 , embrace a total of 59 bottles , bowls and pieces of jewelry exquisitely crafted from gold , silver grey , amber and iron .
Replicas of artifacts that belong to the Villena hoard in Spain.
Upon the hoard ’s discovery , in a crushed rock pit in the responsibility of Alicante , however , researchers noticed a few odd inside information about some of the iron pieces . At the clock time , they identify the items as being craft of " a dark leaden metal . It is shiny in some areas , and covered with a ferrous - looking oxide that is mostly crack , " according toEl País , a newspaper in Spain .
Now , Modern research has revealed that the iron used in two of the artifacts originated from ameteoritethat fell to Earth around 1 million years ago , according to a translated study issue Dec. 30 in the journalTrabajos de Prehistoria .
For the new cogitation , researchers tested two of the Fe pieces : a C - form bracelet and a hollow sphere topped with a amber sheet that may have once decorated a sword ’s saddlebow . Both items were crafted between 1400 and 1200 B.C.
" The link between gold and branding iron is significant , as both constituent have a keen symbolic and social value , " study older authorIgnacio Montero Ruiz , a researcher at Spain ’s Institute of History , separate Live Science in an email . " In this type , [ the artifact ] were … probably hidden treasure that could have belong to a whole community of interests and not to a undivided person . There were no kingdom in the Iberian Peninsula at this historical period . "
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Using mass spectrometry , a technique that measures the mass - to - charge ratio of molecule , they value traces of atomic number 26 - nickel admixture that were corresponding to that found in meteorologic Fe , according to the written report .
Given that the compositions of the artifact are very similar , " both objects could [ have ] come from the same meteorite , " Montero Ruiz say .
" The iron technology is completely unlike to the copper - base metallurgy and to the noble alloy ( gold and silver medal ) , " he tot . " So , hoi polloi who start to work with meteoritic atomic number 26 and afterward with mundane branding iron must [ have had to ] innovate and evolve newfangled technology . "
He tote up that it is " captivating " to see how culture innovated with raw technologies , noting that " experimentation and curiosity were a part of these retiring societies . "
While researcher remain unsure of who crafted the objects and where they originated , they do know that these are both the first and former meteoritic iron objects ascertain in the Iberian Peninsula , fit in to the study .
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The artifacts also offer up new insight into metallurgy practice from the Late Bronze Age . The only have sex artifacts that include meteoric iron from the first millennium B.C. let in an arrowhead from 900 B.C. find in Mörigen , Switzerland , and afew object from Polandfrom around 800 B.C.
As for where the hoard ’s artifacts came from , that ’s still up in the melody .
" One selection is [ they ] came from the eastern Mediterranean where other modern-day objects are known ( for example , the dagger and other items from [ King]Tutankhamun ’s tomb ) , " Montero Ruiz said . " We do not have arguments to support a more local yield , because other meteoritic iron in Europe has former chronology ( from Poland or Switzerland ) . "
The items are part of the collection at the Archaeological Museum in Villena , Spain .
