Though the arrowhead was discovered in the late 19th century, it wasn’t until recently that scientists were able to learn about its cosmic origins.
zvg / Thomas SchüpbachThe arrowhead found in Switzerland control isotopes that do not by nature occur on Earth .
At a Bronze Age dwelling in Mörigen , Switzerland , in the late 1800s , archaeologist discovered a 3,000 - class - old arrowhead . For over a century , the artefact has been part of the Bern Historical Museum ’s assemblage — but a late analysis of the arrowhead has divulge shocking novel information about the cloth used to make it .
While it may look like an ordinary , rusted arrowhead , this 3,000 - year - old artifact was actually crafted out from a meteorite that crashed into Earth 3,500 days ago .
zvg/Thomas SchüpbachThe arrowhead found in Switzerland contained isotopes that do not naturally occur on Earth.
In the past , inquiry has show that many cultures across Eurasia , the Middle East , and Africa utilized meteoritic iron for various tools and weapons , but few deterrent example of this practice have been get hold across Europe . Or , at least , few have been describe .
But researchers had a intuition that there may , in fact , be numerous artefact out there that were made of meteoritic atomic number 26 that had not yet been identified as such , so they set about their search by examining various archaeological collections at situation in Switzerland .
One such artefact they examined was the Bronze Age arrowhead at the Bern Historical Museum .
Wikimedia CommonsThe Kaali field of meteorite craters in Estonia, where the Bronze Age arrowhead likely came from.
They find that this 3,000 - twelvemonth - erstwhile arrowhead contained aluminum-26 isotopes , which are not naturally found on Earth , along with an iron and nickel note alloy that is vulgar in meteorites .
The study , published in theJournal of Archaeological Science , outlined the various methods used to identify the arrowhead , including X - ray tomography , computerized imaging , and Vasco da Gamma spectrometry , a cognitive operation which notice gamma rays emit by radioactive cloth . Through this latter method acting , the team learned that the meteorite had long been exposed to cosmic rays while it was in infinite .
In summation to identifying the aluminum-26 isotopes that make up the arrowhead , the analysis also revealed pulverization marks allow for over from when the meteorite was regulate into an arrowhead , and the remains of seafarer , which was likely used to attach the arrowhead to its barb , according to atranslated program line .
Wikimedia CommonsThe Kaali theater of meteorite Crater in Estonia , where the Bronze Age arrowhead likely came from .
The squad initially believed the arrowhead was linked to the nearby Twannberg meteorite — the largest ever found in Switzerland , which crashed to Earth around 170,000 years ago — but cursorily realized that the nickel note subject matter in the arrowhead was near twice as high as in the Twannberg meteorite . Moreover , a high Ge content showed that the arrowhead was likely made of a type IAB meteorite , whereas the Twannberg meteorite was classify as a case IIG .
Rather , the team concluded that the most probable candidate for the arrowhead ’s descent was a large IAB meteorite acknowledge as Kaalijarv , which crash in Estonia around 1500 B.C.E. and create several craters in the Earth with diameter over 300 feet .
As further analytic thinking are conduct in European archeological collections , the squad hop to discover clues that could hopefully confirm the trail of the arrowhead from Estonia to Mörigen .
“ It ’s been well document that trade was well established over large distances during the Bronze Age , ” survey lead author Beda Hofmann , foreland and curator of mineralogy and meteorite at the Natural History Museum of Bern , toldLive Science . “ These early people in all probability knew that when the impact happened there in 1500 [ B.C.E. ] , the material was treasured and had value to it . ”
The arrowhead will be expose at the Bern Historical Museum from February 1 , 2024 , to April 25 , 2025 .
After reading about this Bronze Age arrowhead , register aboutAnn Hodges , the only person known to have been hit by a meteorite . The , show about the unsolved whodunit ofthe meteorite illness that chivvy Carancas , Peru .
