A recent study has revealed that Early Iron Age jewellery discovered in southern Poland contains iron sourced from a meteorite.
The artefacts, uncovered at the Częstochowa-Raków and Częstochowa-Mirów cemeteries, date back to approximately 750–600 BCE and belong to the Lusatian Culture. The research, published in the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, found that four of the 26 examined artefacts—three bracelets and a pin—were made of meteoric iron.
This discovery makes southern Poland one of the most concentrated sites for meteoric iron artefacts, comparable to some sites in Egypt.
Meteoric Iron and Its Cultural Use
The analysis, conducted using portable X-ray fluorescence (p-XRF), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) with Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS), and X-ray microtomography, confirmed the presence of meteoric iron. Researchers identified the iron as originating from an ataxite meteorite, a rare type of iron meteorite with a high nickel content.
Unlike terrestrial iron, which was likely acquired through trade from ore sources in the Alps or Balkans, the meteoric iron appears to have been obtained locally. The study suggests it may have come from a witnessed meteorite fall, as working with large meteorite fragments would have been difficult with Iron Age tools.
“We suggest that meteoritic iron was deliberately used to produce a specific pattern on iron jewellery – a millennium before the supposed invention of wootz and Damascus steel,” wrote the researchers.
Implications for Ancient Metalworking
Findings suggest that ironworkers in the region were able to incorporate meteoric iron with smelted terrestrial iron, indicating a level of skill in metal processing. The presence of faint banding patterns in the metal suggests that this may have been done intentionally, potentially representing an early form of patterned iron.
Despite its extraterrestrial origin, meteoric iron does not appear to have been particularly valued in the Iron Age. The jewellery was found in graves of men, women, and children, with no clear indication of social or economic distinction. Unlike earlier periods, when iron was considered a luxury material, by the Early Iron Age, its value had declined significantly.
