Archaeologists in southern Poland have found an “exceptional” haul of ancient jewelry that makes extensive use of meteoritic iron, which fell to earth from space.
The collection of 26 ornaments dug up from Iron Age cemeteries in Częstochowa suggests that the ancient Lusatian civilization, which inhabited much of present-day Poland, may have developed metalworking skills earlier than suspected.
In a new report published in the April issue of the Journal of Archaeological Science, researchers wrote that they had identified three bracelets, an ankle ring, and a pin made from meteoritic material, with the rest of the haul forged from common smelted iron.
The rare objects challenge previous assumptions about the significance of meteoritic iron in early metalworking societies, the academics said. They now believe the material was treated as a common resource rather than simply a rare, symbolic element.
The researchers, who are linked to universities and institutions in France and Poland, said that the Częstochowa haul “forms one of the biggest collection of meteoritic iron products at one archaeological site worldwide,” giving the site a global significance.
In a new report published in the April issue of the Journal of Archaeological Science, researchers wrote that they had identified three bracelets, an ankle ring, and a pin made from meteoritic material, with the rest of the haul forged from common smelted iron.
The rare objects challenge previous assumptions about the significance of meteoritic iron in early metalworking societies, the academics said. They now believe the material was treated as a common resource rather than simply a rare, symbolic element.
‘Exceptional set’
The researchers, who are linked to universities and institutions in France and Poland, said that the Częstochowa haul “forms one of the biggest collection of meteoritic iron products at one archaeological site worldwide,” giving the site a global significance.
“The iron of the cemeteries of Częstochowa constitute an exceptional set since, at the same time, objects of smelted and meteoritic iron are found,” the scientists wrote.
In the early Iron Age, the discovery of meteoritic iron would have been significant for a people.
“Iron was highly valorized, and it can be assumed that obtaining this metal from a source other than trade would have been desirable especially when it was about the possibly symbolically highly marked iron from the sky,” the report adds.
Using specialized equipment, the researchers determined that the chemical composition of the meteoritic iron artifacts varied significantly, sometimes within a single object.
But the study suggests a single meteorite was used in all the pieces, potentially from a local piece of metal recently fallen from space, rather than an imported source.
This indicates that the local population knew how to work iron and no longer viewed meteoritic iron as a rare or sacred material, as was the case in the Bronze Age before the discovery of iron smelting, the academics suggested.
“It was simply used as an iron ore,” the report said.
According to the research, meteoritic iron may have been deliberately incorporated into jewelry to create distinctive visual patterns, a technique that predates the development of Wootz steel and Damascus steel – key steps in the development of metalworking - by over a thousand years.
While the research hints at meteorite falls in Poland during the Bronze and Iron Ages, there is evidence of more recent space iron plummeting onto Polish territory.
It was here in 1868 that the largest stoney meteorite shower ever recorded occurred, with around 70,000 fragments falling to earth after a massive explosion.
In the early Iron Age, the discovery of meteoritic iron would have been significant for a people.
“Iron was highly valorized, and it can be assumed that obtaining this metal from a source other than trade would have been desirable especially when it was about the possibly symbolically highly marked iron from the sky,” the report adds.
A single meteorite
Using specialized equipment, the researchers determined that the chemical composition of the meteoritic iron artifacts varied significantly, sometimes within a single object.
But the study suggests a single meteorite was used in all the pieces, potentially from a local piece of metal recently fallen from space, rather than an imported source.
This indicates that the local population knew how to work iron and no longer viewed meteoritic iron as a rare or sacred material, as was the case in the Bronze Age before the discovery of iron smelting, the academics suggested.
“It was simply used as an iron ore,” the report said.
According to the research, meteoritic iron may have been deliberately incorporated into jewelry to create distinctive visual patterns, a technique that predates the development of Wootz steel and Damascus steel – key steps in the development of metalworking - by over a thousand years.
While the research hints at meteorite falls in Poland during the Bronze and Iron Ages, there is evidence of more recent space iron plummeting onto Polish territory.
It was here in 1868 that the largest stoney meteorite shower ever recorded occurred, with around 70,000 fragments falling to earth after a massive explosion.
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