The legend of King Tutankhamen's space dagger, an iron weapon forged from the rock of meteorites, and entombed with the ancient Egyptian pharaoh, is already well known.
A new study has revealed more about this fascinating artifact.
The type of meteorite that the dagger was most likely forged from, as well as the process used to make it, have been revealed by a chemical analysis.
It seems that the object was presented as a gift to King Tut or one of his ancestors.
The pattern on the dagger is indicative of the long nickel- iron crystals found in iron meteorites.
Tomoko Arai, a planetary scientist from the Chiba Institute of Technology in Japan, told Gizmodo that they conducted on-site non-contact, non-destructive two-dimensional chemical analysis to understand the manufacture and origin of the dagger.
We noticed a cross-hatched texture on both sides of the dagger, suggesting a structure similar to an iron meteorite. That was our best moment.
A relatively low temperature forging technique was used to mold the weapon. The researchers think that the dagger was made at much higher temperatures and that the pattern would have disappeared.
There are black spots on the blade and a crack on the blade's surface that back up the origin story for the object. The sulfur-rich areas are most likely caused by the heating up of troilite, an iron sulfide mineral found in iron meteorites.
The analysis shows that the decorative stones were most likely fixed with lime plaster, a process that was not used in Egypt until much later in history. The dagger most likely came from somewhere else.
The iron dagger given to one of Tutankhamen's ancestors as a present is mentioned in the clay tablets of the ancient Egyptian diplomatic correspondence.
The gold hilt hints at the dagger's foreign origin, as suggested by a letter from the king of Mitanni to Amenhotep III.
There is more proof that the dagger came from outside Egypt. It is possible that this is a family heirloom that has been passed down through the generations.
Most iron artifacts were most likely forged from meteorite fragments that had fallen from space. This would not have been easy, and would likely involve a lot of trial and error.
Tsutomu Saito, professor of cultural properties science at the National Museum of Japanese History in Japan, was not part of the current study, but has worked on previous research into iron forging thatpredates the Iron Age.
Saito believes that the forgers of the time used both instinct and experience to find the right temperatures to craft their goods.
This is an important finding that shows the beginning of mankind's quest to develop iron manufacturing technology.
The research has been published.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
