Archaeologists Found a Strange Metal From Beyond Earth Hidden in 3,000‑Year‑Old Treasure Stash
The Daily Galaxy • • science
Key Points:
- The Treasure of Villena, a Bronze Age hoard discovered in southeastern Spain, contains 66 objects mostly made of gold and silver, with a few unusual iron pieces that puzzled archaeologists for decades due to their unique composition and corrosion resistance.
- Recent research led by Salvador Rovira-Llorens identified at least two iron objects—a bracelet and a hollow hemisphere—as made from meteoritic iron, marking the first known use of such cosmic metal in the Iberian Peninsula during the Late Bronze Age (circa 1400–1200 BC).
- Analytical techniques revealed a high nickel content and trace elements consistent with meteoritic iron, distinguishing these objects from typical terrestrial iron ores and linking the hoard to rare extraterrestrial material likely valued
