A study scheduled for release in the Journal of Archaeological Science’s September edition described a rare ancient arrowhead made of materials from outer space.
New analysis of a 3,000-year-old arrowhead discovered in Mörigen, Switzerland, revealed that it was made from a meteorite that crashed to Earth 3,500 years ago, according to the study.
Images of the arrowhead were shared online, showing its surprisingly large size.
New analysis reveals: an arrowhead found in the 19th Century in the late #BronzeAge (900–800 BCE) lake dwelling of Mörigen, Switzerland, was made of meteoritic iron. The Kaalijarv #meteorite, Estonia, is proposed as a possible source of the iron.https://t.co/91vhDWJpGz pic.twitter.com/0wsK0Mcf1P
— Nina Willburger (@DrNWillburger) July 30, 2023
It was initially assumed that the arrowhead was made from remnants of a 170,000-year-old Twannberg meteorite that crashed less than five miles from where the arrowhead was found. But through a series of methodologies, including X-ray tomography and gamma spectrometry, the research team found that elements like nickel and germanium were not a match for the Twannberg meteorite. By comparing the elements with other crashed space rocks, the team found that the arrowhead is most likely from the Kaalijarv meteorite site in Estonia, more than 1,400 miles away.
“It’s been well documented that trade was well established over large distances during the Bronze Age,” lead author Beda Hofmann told Live Science. “These early people likely knew that when the impact happened there in 1,500 B.C., the material was precious and had value to it.” (RELATED: Earth Has A Blind Spot In Our Planetary Threat Detection System)
Only 55 meteoric arrowheads are known to exist within Europe and Africa, and have only been identified at 22 archaeological sites.