Since its discovery in 1925, the meteoritic origin of the iron dagger blade from the sarcophagus of the ancient Egyptian King Tutankhamun (14th C. BCE) has been the subject of debate.
New chemical composition measurements of the blade strongly supports its meteoritic origin.
There were two daggers recovered from the Tutenkhamun’s tomb. The first being one made of a gold/copper alloy. The second being made of iron.
Now, a group of international researchers from Italy and Egypt say that the blade of the iron knife is of extraterrestrial origin. It was made out of an iron meteorite.
In agreement with recent results of metallographic analysis of ancient iron artifacts from Gerzeh, this new study confirms that ancient Egyptians attributed great value to meteoritic iron for the production of precious objects.
Moreover, the high manufacturing quality of Tutankhamun’s dagger blade suggests a significant mastery of ironworking in Tutankhamun’s time.
The meteoritic origin of Tutankhamun’s iron dagger blade
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