Switzerland: Bronze age arrowhead traced to 'object that fell from the sky'

An ancient Bronze Age arrowhead discovered in Switzerland in the 19th century has revealed an unexpected origin - it ismade ofiron that fell from the sky.

The arrowhead, as per findings published in the Journal of Archaeological Science, was made from a meteorite. But that's not all, scientists have also made another surprising discovery that can help further our understanding of the prehistoric humans.

Sky iron from afar

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As per a report in Science Alert, what's more intriguing about this find is that the meteorite likely originated from as far away as Estonia. This, as per scientists, highlights the extensive trade networks that existed thousands of years ago.

The amazing find was made by Geologist Beda Hofmann from the Natural History Museum of Bern and the University of Bern, who led a search for ancient artefacts made of meteoritic iron.

Meteorites and prehistoric times

Pure iron was a scarce resource in prehistoric times, so our ancestors used iron from meteorites that had fallen to Earth.For this, they used iron meteorites, which are more commonly found due to their ability to withstand atmospheric entry.

These mainly consist of iron, with small amounts of nickel and other metals.As per the report, it is presumed that almost all Bronze Age iron tools and weapons are made of these meteorites.

Europe and prehistoric iron artefacts

Most meteoritic iron artefacts have been found in the Middle East, Egypt, and Asia. However, a few have been discovered across Europe.

The settlement of Mörigen in Switzerland, who were thriving during the Bronze Age around 800 to 900 BCE, presented a promising location for such discoveries. It is close to the Twannberg field, known for meteoritic iron fragments from an ancient impact dating to before the last ice age.

Among objects previously excavated from Mörigen, Hofmann's team found a lone iron arrowhead.

It had the characteristic iron and nickel composition of meteoritic iron, along with traces of smoking gun or radioactive aluminum-26, which forms only in space. However, the mix of metals in the arrowhead did not match those in the local meteoritic iron.

This, as per Science Alert, indicated that it belonged to a specific class of iron meteorite called IAB meteorites.

Why is this discovery important?

Narrowing down the sources, the researchers believe the arrowhead best matches Kaalijarv, an IAB meteorite that fell around 1500 BCE and scattered fragments suitable for reshaping into arrowheads.

What's surprising is Kaalijarv's location, which is approximately 994 miles or 1,600 kilometres away from Mörigen. This suggests it possibly travelled enormous distances through ancient trade routes.

(With inputs from agencies)

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