International researchers have discovered that 5,000 years ago, ancient Egyptians made jewelry from small pieces of meteorites.
Jewelry made from Egyptian meteorites from 5,000 years ago – Photo: Phys.org
According to International Business Times, experts from University College London (UCL) in Qatar determined that the iron jewelry excavated in 1911 from two tombs in the village of el-Gerzeh, 43km from Cairo, was made from pieces of natural material. jelly.
Ancient Egyptians smashed these iron meteorites into thin pieces and rolled them into tubes. Professor Thilo Rehen of UCL said these thin pieces of iron contain the chemicals cobalt and germanium at levels that only exist in meteoric iron.
Irradiating these iron pieces with neutrons and gamma rays, researchers also discovered high levels of nickel and phosphorus. All evidence shows that this is iron from meteorites and not iron ore present on Earth.
A survey published in the Journal of Archaeological Science today, August 20, shows that these jewelry items were made in 3200 BC. The tubes containing meteoric iron were set into a chain with other metals and gems.
UCL experts emphasized that research shows that more than 5,000 years ago, ancient Egyptians mastered the technique of processing iron from meteorites, before the technique of smelting iron appeared nearly 2,000 years later. According to documents, the first evidence of iron smelting technique appeared in Egypt in the 6th century BC.
