Extraordinary discovery: Bronze Age tools carved in meteoritic iron found in the Villena Treasury
Controversy has raged regarding a Bronze Age discovery in the Villena Treasury.
The Villena Treasury in Spain’s southeastern city of Alicante, as well as being home to a plethora of gold and silver artefacts, is home to two huge scientific mysteries: a hollow hemisphere and what appears to be either a bracelet or ring.
Ever since they were discovered in 1963, their origin caused scientists to scratch their heads... until now: They came from outer space.
New evidence has suggested that both objects were crafted between 1400 and 1200 B.C.E. from iron from a meteorite that hit the Earth one million years ago.
“Iron was as valuable as gold or silver, and in this case [it was] used for ornaments or decorative purposes,” study co-author Ignacio Montero Ruiz, a researcher at the Spanish National Research Council’s Institute of History, told Smithsonian magazine.
✅La ministra ha visitado el Museo de Villena, que alberga un tesoro fechado por el @CSIC en la Edad de Bronce e incluye una pieza fabricada con material de un meteorito.
— Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (@CienciaGob) February 21, 2025
🗣️@DianaMorantR: “La ciencia y el conocimiento también nos permiten descubrir el pasado”. pic.twitter.com/9jhWmrDpN3
Rare Bronze Age objects have ‘enormous value’
“These two pieces of iron had enormous value. For this reason, they were considered worthy of becoming part of this spectacular ensemble,” he explained to Spanish newspaper El País. “Who manufactured them and where this material was obtained are still questions that remain to be answered.”
Meteorite iron is found in certain types of meteorites that fall to Earth’s surface from outer space. Not many Bronze Age artefacts have been found to be made of this type of material, with discoveries being made across the world, from Switzerland to China.
Using a precise analysis of the composition of the artefacts from the Treasury, it was discovered that they were not made from Earth-formed iron but extraterrestrial materials that had crashed on our planet at some point in the past from deep space.
The discovery in Spain, as well as being interesting from an astronomical point of view, also helps us to piece together the mysteries of the past.
Researchers have uncovered new details about the origin of King Tut's iron dagger forged from a meteorite...
— Archaeo - Histories (@archeohistories) February 14, 2025
King Tutankhamun, became ruler of Ancient Egypt more than 3300 years ago when he was just 9 years old. He died just a decade later, ending a rather unmemorable rule. In… pic.twitter.com/kIukGV1Z6o
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They are the first two pieces that have been found to be made of meteorite iron in the Iberian Peninsula, which the study says is indeed compatible with the standard chronology of the Late Bronze Age, coming before the beginning of the generalised production of terrestrial iron.
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