The Villena Treasure, a remarkable collection dating back to the Bronze Age and discovered in Spain over 60 years ago, has just revealed that some of its pieces contain iron of extraterrestrial origin, coming from a meteorite that fell to Earth approximately a million years ago.
This treasure, unearthed by archaeologists in 1963 at a gravel pit in the province of Alicante, consists of 59 items, including bottles, cups, and jewelry masterfully crafted from gold, silver, amber, and iron. At the time of its discovery, certain iron elements had intrigued researchers due to their distinctive appearance, evoking a leaded metal, shining in places and covered in an oxide resembling iron.
The research, published on December 30 in the journal
Trabajos de Prehistoria, analyzed two iron pieces: a C-shaped bracelet and a hollow sphere topped with a gold leaf, which could have decorated the hilt of a sword. Dated between 1400 and 1200 BC, these objects illustrate the significant symbolic and social connection between gold and iron at that time.
The study reveals that the iron used for these artifacts indeed comes from a meteorite, thanks to spectrometric mass analyses that identified an iron-nickel alloy similar to that of meteoritic iron.
These objects are the earliest and only examples of meteoritic iron found in the Iberian Peninsula, offering new insight into the metallurgical practices of the late Bronze Age. They join the rare artifacts of meteoritic iron known from the first millennium BC, such as an arrowhead discovered in Switzerland and some objects in Poland.
Although the origin of these objects remains uncertain, their discovery enriches our understanding of the history of metallurgy and testifies to the cultural and technological exchanges of the time. These pieces are currently kept at the Archaeological Museum of Villena, Spain.