June 2, 2016

A new study conducted by Italian and Egyptian scientists found that an iron-bladed dagger from the tomb of Tutankhamun, ancient Egypt’s most famous pharaoh (king), had an extraterrestrial origin. An analysis of the metal blade found that the iron most likely came from a meteorite. This rare source of iron was highly prized by the ancient Egyptians. A special hieroglyphic describes such iron as “metal from heaven.”

Archaeologist Howard Carter works with Tutankhamun’s mummy in 1922. Among the many riches from Tut’s tomb was a rare iron-bladed dagger probably made from the metal of a meteorite.
CREDIT: © Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images

British archaeologist Howard Carter discovered the long-hidden tomb of Tutankhamun (often called “King Tut”) in 1922. The discovery was a great sensation. King Tut served as ruler of Egypt from about 1332 B.C. until his death around 1322 B.C. The tomb had not been opened since ancient times. It still contained many of its treasures. It is the only tomb of an ancient Egyptian king to be discovered almost completely undamaged. Tut’s four-room tomb contained more than 5,000 objects, including many beautiful carved and gold-covered items. The dagger, found nestled in the wrappings of the pharaoh’s mummy, was finely crafted with a gold and crystal handle and a richly decorated sheath. But scientists found the blade of the dagger most intriguing. It was made of iron, a metal that was virtually unknown in ancient Egypt.

Although people in the ancient world worked copper, bronze, and gold beginning about 4,000 B.C., iron working developed much later. Historians generally mark the beginning of the Iron Age at 1,200 B.C., long after Tutankhamun’s death. Iron deposits are also uncommon in and around Egypt, and iron tools or weapons from ancient Egypt are very rare. Scholars have long suspected that the iron used to fashion precious objects found in ancient Egyptian tombs may have come from meteorites. Scholars believe ancient Egyptians might have regarded meteorites as gifts from the gods suitable only for kings. However, this theory has been difficult to prove.

In the latest study, scientists analyzed the dagger using a technique called x-ray fluorescence spectrometry to determine the composition of the blade. Fluorescence is a process by which substances give off light or another form of electromagnetic radiation when they absorb energy. Using this technique, scientists aimed a beam of high energy x-rays at the blade. By measuring the radiation emitted, they determined the types and abundances of various elements that made up the blade. They found that the blade was composed of iron, nickel, and cobalt. The relative amounts of these elements in the dagger were remarkably similar to those found in iron-rich meteorites. They then compared the chemical makeup of the dagger to meteorite samples obtained from sites within about 1,250 miles (2,000 kilometers) of Cairo, Egypt’s capital. One particular sample, known as the Kharga meteorite, had a composition of iron, nickel, and cobalt nearly identical to Tut’s dagger, strongly supporting its extraterrestrial origin.

The rediscovery of the process used by the ancient Egyptians to produce mummies more than 3,000 years ago was announced by British scientists on October 20, 2011. Chemist Stephen Buckley of the University of York in the United Kingdom reported that he and his co-workers had preserved the body of British taxi driver Alan Billis using the same techniques used to mummify the body of Tutankhamun (King Tut) and the bodies of other pharaohs of ancient Egypt. Buckley has spent nearly 20 years researching the mummification process used by the ancient Egyptians. Billis volunteered for the project after learning that he was dying of lung cancer.

Egyptian mummies were wound tightly with linen and then laid out in coffins. In some periods of Egyptian history, the coffins were painted. The Field Museum, Chicago.

Like ancient Egyptian embalmers, Buckley and his co-workers removed the lungs and intestines from Billis’s body through an opening cut in the left side of the abdomen.  The cavity in his body was filled with linen. The researchers then soaked the body in a bath of natron, a powdery mixture that includes a harsh kind of salt, for three months. The natron dehydrated (removed all moisture from) the body. The researchers protected Billis’s skin with oils. They also wrapped the body in linen to protect it from light and insects.

British archaeologist Howard Carter discovered Tutankhamun's undamaged tomb in 1922. A magnificent lifelike gold mask of Tutankhamun covered the head and shoulders of the royal mummy, shown here as it is cleaned by Carter and an Egyptian assistant. © Getty Images.

In addition to reconstructing the mummification process in ancient Egypt, the project may help scientists develop preservation processes that do not use formaldehyde. Formaldehyde is the active ingredient in a solution used for embalming and for preserving insects and other biological specimens. Laboratory tests have shown that formaldehyde probably causes cancer.

Additional World Book articles:

• Anubis
• Pyramid
• Valley of the Kings
• Back in Time (Archaeology 1923)