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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsKing Tut had a dagger made from metal of ‘extraterrestrial origin’
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2016/06/02/king-tut-had-a-dagger-made-from-metal-of-extraterrestrial-origin/King Tutankhamun, the ancient Egyptian pharaoh, was entombed with a dagger made from metal mined from a meteor, according to a new scientific study.
The iron dagger was discovered within Tutankhamun's sarcophagus, whose famous discovery in Luxor in 1922 prompted a wave of global interest in the history and grandeur of one of the world's oldest civilizations. The young king died at age 19 in the 14th century B.C.
While Bronze Age cultures extensively used copper, bronze, gold and other metals, the advent of iron-smithing hadn't yet happened. The researchers, who published their findings on Tuesday in the journal Meteoritics & Planetary Science, used state-of-the-art X-ray fluorescence spectrometry to analyze the composition of the blade.
Their analysis "strongly suggests" that the blade carried materials of "extraterrestrial origin" and "confirms that ancient Egyptians attributed great value to meteoritic iron for the production of precious objects" and had the ability to sculpt metals found in meteorites into sophisticated objects.
GaYellowDawg
(4,449 posts)But you know someone's gonna be like:
WhiteTara
(29,722 posts)since it came from the stars.
Kelvin Mace
(17,469 posts)Bummer of a power.
lunamagica
(9,967 posts)Ned Flanders
(233 posts)Hail Cthulhu, R'lyeh Rising!
SCantiGOP
(13,873 posts)phone home.
awoke_in_2003
(34,582 posts)Kelvin Mace
(17,469 posts)You'll put your eye out.
lunamagica
(9,967 posts)AtheistCrusader
(33,982 posts)msanthrope
(37,549 posts)Javaman
(62,534 posts)who is this guy?
caraher
(6,279 posts)shawn703
(2,702 posts)Jesus Malverde
(10,274 posts)Octafish
(55,745 posts)"The dagger was not the only relic in King Tuts possession that was rare and unusual; he also possessed a scarab necklace made of silica glass that might have been created by the heat of a meteorite impacting the desert sand and melting it down."
SOURCE: http://www.astronomy.com/news/2016/06/king-tuts-dagger-blade-made-of-meteorite
sulphurdunn
(6,891 posts)at an exhibit from the Cairo Museum. If memory serves that blade was at least a foot long. Not just a ceremonial toy but a serious weapon.
lagomorph777
(30,613 posts)Very cool!
Initech
(100,102 posts)After all that was associated with the aliens that created the stargate system and the stargate found in Egypt!
Mendocino
(7,506 posts)anyone with enough money ($1000+) can buy a modern knife made of meteoric iron. The Inuit of Greenland made regular use of this source until Robert Peary, supposed discoverer of the North Pole, stole the meteors and sold them to museums.
cemaphonic
(4,138 posts)but there are lots of ancient artifacts made from meteoric iron.
tabasco
(22,974 posts)Brother Buzz
(36,464 posts)Fuel was at a premium, so they were compelled to worked the iron cold. Thorough trial and error, the learned just how much the could work the iron before it would fracture. Their big breakthrough was when they discovered applying a little judicious heat would relieve stresses so they could continue working it.
1939
(1,683 posts)The earth passed thorough the tail of a comet leading to such old testament notices of the destruction of the "seven cities of the plain" and stories of "fire and brimstone".
jberryhill
(62,444 posts)1939
(1,683 posts)Other literate societies (China and India) make no special mention of a disaster happening at that time. Yes, meteorites and their remnants are scattered world wide, but this particular one at that time mainly brushed the middle east where the destruction was epic.
jberryhill
(62,444 posts)1939
(1,683 posts)About 2350BC. The writers of the Book of Genesis say that five cities were destroyed in what is now Jordan. Archaeologists have found as many as ten which perished in fire at about that time.
kracer20
(199 posts)From the King Tut song by Steve Martin...
Can't fight snake cultists without starmetal weapons.
^_^
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conan_the_Adventurer_%28animated_series%29
Enthusiast
(50,983 posts)Like your basic cast iron engine block sitting in a junk yard is equally 'extra-terrestrial' to Tut's dagger. Most of the elements can't even form on earth. Please correct me if I'm wrong I just have a passing interest in cosmology.
Not as romantic however.
sakabatou
(42,174 posts)Enthusiast
(50,983 posts)LuckyTheDog
(6,837 posts)mahatmakanejeeves
(57,608 posts)I haven't seen this in a while. I think I'll check out the DVD from the library.
1StrongBlackMan
(31,849 posts)They could name it "Tutaniamum"!
notadmblnd
(23,720 posts)in the heavens?