Three ancient Greek rings that were likely made using meteoritic iron and other precious metals, PC: Journal Archaeological Science
Before this study, seven sites in the eastern Mediterranean had confirmed evidence of meteoritic iron. The study does not, however, establish a specific trade route or prove that the Greek rings were made from Egyptian meteorites. The proposed connection remains a possibility that further research will need to test. The researchers’ work adds seven sites in Greece to that record, including Phaistos, Anemospilia, Mycenae, Vapheio, Kakovatos, Aidonia and Dendra.
A five-year study by Matthieu Gounelle of France’s National Museum of Natural History and Eleni Mantzourani of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens examined 105 Bronze Age and Early Iron Age artefacts from 33 archaeological sites held in 19 museums. Of the 105 objects, 91 were iron and were examined in detail using portable X-ray fluorescence. The researchers concluded that 9 of the rings were very likely made from meteoritic iron, another was quite likely to have been, while 3 require further investigation. The findings suggest that iron from meteorites was not simply a strange material encountered by chance, but a rare and valuable substance used for jewellery associated with powerful members of Minoan and Mycenaean society more than 3,000 years ago. Of the 91 iron objects analysed in detail, 78, or about 86%, contained no detectable nickel. The remaining 13 contained significant amounts of nickel. The nickel concentrations in the rings varied considerably, ranging from about 1% to 50%, suggesting that the objects may not all have originated from the same meteorite. All 13 nickel-bearing objects were finger rings or fragments of rings.
Because iron meteorites are naturally rich in nickel, the element provides an important chemical clue when researchers are trying to distinguish meteoritic iron from iron produced from terrestrial ores. The researchers also note that nickel can be lost from archaeological iron during long-term burial and corrosion, meaning even relatively low concentrations can still provide evidence of an extraterrestrial origin. Long before iron smelting became widespread in Greece, some Bronze Age elites were already wearing jewellery made from iron that may have come from meteorites. Thirteen iron objects, all rings or fragments of rings, contained significant amounts of nickel, a strong indicator of meteoritic iron. The study, titled Iron in Greece in the second millennium B.C.E. , was published in the Journal of Archaeological Science. The researchers used portable X-ray fluorescence, or p-XRF, to examine the chemical composition of the objects without damaging them. This was particularly useful for fragile archaeological artefacts that could be difficult to remove from museum collections or transport to laboratories. These objects are consistent with iron produced through early smelting. The most striking pattern in the study was not simply the presence of nickel, but the type of objects in which it appeared. The wider collection included weapons, tools, jewellery and other iron objects, yet the evidence for meteoritic iron was concentrated entirely in the rings. Many of the rings were elaborate pieces featuring large, flat engraved surfaces and combinations of iron with other valuable metals such as gold, silver or bronze. Several came from richly furnished elite tombs in the Peloponnese, including sites such as Mycenae, Vapheio, Kakovatos, Aidonia and Dendra. The researchers argue that this pattern points to meteoritic iron having a special status. Rather than being used primarily as a practical material, it appears to have been selected for objects associated with wealth, prestige and social power. Eleni Mantzourani described the meteoritic iron as a very precious material used for objects of special value among high-status groups in Minoan and Mycenaean society.