Produced by: Mohsin Shaikh
Among Iberian treasures, two corroded objects—a bracelet and a hemisphere—might hold secrets more precious than gold itself, hinting at an ancient mystery that transcends the Earth.
Credit: Villena Museum
Researchers have found that these artifacts, unlike others in the hoard, weren’t mined but made of meteoritic iron, metal that fell from the skies thousands of years ago.
Led by Salvador Rovira-Llorens, a retired head of conservation at Spain’s National Archaeological Museum, the study suggests advanced metalworking in Iberia over 3,000 years ago.
This cache, known as the Treasure of Villena, contains 66 mostly golden objects and was unearthed in 1963 in Alicante, Spain. It's among the most significant Bronze Age discoveries in Europe.
Dating the collection has been challenging due to two "ferrous" objects—a hemisphere and a bracelet—that appear to be iron but date centuries before the Iron Age.
In the Bronze Age, iron could come from meteors. Famous examples include Tutankhamun’s dagger. Such meteoritic iron artifacts were rare and highly valued.
To confirm, researchers tested the nickel content—higher in meteoritic iron—of the Villena bracelet and hemisphere. Mass spectrometry results suggested both were crafted from celestial metal.
The findings align these artifacts with the rest of the hoard, dating them to 1400–1200 BCE, marking them as the first confirmed meteoritic iron pieces in Iberian history.
Due to corrosion, the results aren't conclusive. However, newer non-invasive tests could yield clearer data, further cementing the timeline of these extraordinary finds.