An ancient arrowhead displayed at the Bern History Museum in Switzerland has been found to be crafted from iron derived from a meteorite, according to scientists.
A study published in the Journal of Archaeological Science provides details about the arrowhead and the probable source of the iron-rich meteorite.
Ancient societies frequently utilized iron from meteorites, and many instances of early meteoric iron usage have been uncovered throughout Europe.
Researchers examined archaeological collections in Switzerland to determine if any of these artifacts contained meteorite-derived metal.
They discovered that the arrowhead at the Bern History Museum contained a form of aluminum that does not naturally occur on Earth.
Additionally, the arrowhead contained an iron and nickel alloy solely found in meteorites.
The arrowhead was excavated from a Bronze Age site named Mörigen, which was occupied by early humans around 900 to 800 BCE.
Initially, scientists speculated that the arrowhead was crafted from metal sourced from the Twannberg meteorite, which crashed less than 8km away from where the weapon fragment was discovered.
However, further analysis revealed inconsistencies in the concentrations of germanium and nickel between the meteorite sample and the arrowhead.
By examining a geological database of meteorites, researchers identified only three other meteorites in Europe with the same metal composition as the arrowhead.
These meteorites were found in the Czech Republic, Spain, and Estonia.
Based on the findings, scientists now believe that the Estonian meteorite is the most likely source for the arrowhead.
This discovery suggests the presence of an extensive trade network between Estonia and Switzerland during the Bronze Age in Central Europe.
“Among the three large European iron meteorites that match the chemical composition, the Kaalijarv meteorite from Estonia is the most probable source,” stated the researchers in their study.
They added that the meteorite likely produced numerous small fragments during its impact event, which occurred around 1500 BC in Estonia.
The researchers suggest that additional artifacts of the same origin may be present in other archaeological collections.
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