"Two corroded objects from the Treasure of Villena were made from meteoritic iron."
Discovery
A study led by Salvador Rovira-Llorens, former head of conservation at the National Archaeological Museum in Spain, published in 2024 in Trabajos de Prehistoria, indicates that two corroded objects from the Treasure of Villena were made from meteoritic iron. The objects are a small hollow hemisphere and a bracelet.
Context
The Treasure of Villena is a cache of 66 mostly gold objects discovered in 1963 in Alicante, Spain. It is considered a significant example of Bronze Age goldsmithing in the Iberian Peninsula and Europe. The gold items have been dated to between 1500 and 1200 BCE, while the Iron Age in the region began around 850 BCE. The presence of iron-like objects in a Bronze Age context was previously unexplained.
Analysis
Researchers used mass spectrometry to measure nickel content in samples from the two artifacts. Meteoritic iron typically has higher nickel content than terrestrial iron. Despite corrosion altering the elemental composition, the results strongly suggest both objects are made from meteoritic iron. This aligns the objects with the Late Bronze Age chronology, around 1400 to 1200 BCE.
Significance
These artifacts would be the first meteoritic iron pieces identified in the Iberian Peninsula, indicating advanced metalworking techniques before the widespread use of terrestrial iron. The authors note that non-invasive techniques could provide further confirmation.