One is made of gold (in picture) while the other one (not in picture) is made of a rare “extraterrestrial” iron only found in meteorites, according to researchers.
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They compared the composition of the dagger to known meteorites within 2,000km around the Red Sea coast of Egypt, and found that one in particular – which landed 240km (150 miles) west of Alexandria – contained similar levels of nickel and cobalt. The dagger which was studied upon was among the two of its kind found in 1925.
“Our finding confirms that excavations of important burials, including that of King Tutankhamun, have uncovered pre-Iron Age artifacts of meteoritic origin”, the researchers wrote. Almost a century later, Carter’s find remains one of the most celebrated in the history of Egyptology, and a lesser-known artifact from Tut’s tomb is making news of its own. The dagger was in the wrapping surrounding the right thigh of the boy king’s mummy.
“We suggest that ancient Egyptians attributed great value to meteoritic iron for the production of fine ornamental or ceremonial objects”, the article said.
According to their report, ancient Egyptian descriptions of the iron appeared around a century after young King Tut’s death.
“Beyond the Mediterranean area, the fall of meteorites was perceived as a divine message in other ancient cultures”, the researchers write, adding that ancient civilizations in Tibet, Syria and Mesopotamia as well as prehistoric Hopewell communities likely also used meteoritic iron to produce objects – although only a few detailed scientific studies have clearly confirmed such use of the material.
The iron dagger was not the only artefact found with Tutankhamun’s mummified remains. Made of mostly iron, plus 10.8 percent nickel and 0.58 percent cobalt, the blade matched up closely with the meteorite known as Kharga, which was discovered near Marsa Matruh in 2000.
A team of Italian and Egyptian researchers used cutting-edge X-ray technology to examine King Tutankhamun’s long-lost knife. That finding may help explain why, from the 13th century B.C., Egyptians started using a hieroglyph that translates as “iron from the sky”, the paper said.
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The analysis of the weapon further suggests that the ancient Egyptians were masters at working with iron during Tutankhamun’s time.
