A new analysis conducted by scientists on some artifacts discovered in the Spanish town of Villena revealed that the 3,000-year-old gold treasure contains jewelry made of “extraterrestrial” metals.
In detail, scientists from Spain and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia conducted a new analysis of the Vilena treasure, which consisted of 59 gold-plated pieces found in 1963, and found that two of the pieces contained meteoric iron. According to the British newspaper “Daily Mail”.
Meteorite iron is the remains of a planetary stone coming from the deep universe.
Scientists found that the gold-plated hat and bracelet contained raw material from a meteorite that collided with Earth one million years ago, according to the team’s estimates.
The study explained that meteoric iron is found in certain types of rocky meteorites, and consists mainly of silicates – a salt made of silicon and oxygen.
“Because it comes from outer space, it consists of an iron-nickel alloy with a variable nickel composition of more than five percent by weight,” the researchers wrote. “It also contains minor chemical elements, with cobalt being one of the most important elements.”
Scientists say that using fallen meteorites to shape objects has been a common practice for thousands of years, as a similar artifact was found in the tomb of Tutankhamun.
According to scientists, the hat and bracelet contain meteoric iron, as the hat consists of 5.5% of the material and the bracelet only 2.8%.
It is noteworthy that the Villena Treasure was discovered on the Iberian Peninsula, by archaeologist José María Soler in December 1963, while he and his team were excavating the bottom of a dry river called “Rambla del Panadero” – about seven miles from the city.
The discovered treasure includes 11 bowls, 3 bottles, and 28 bracelets. About 90% of them were made of 23.5 carat gold.