Meteoric Iron Found in Lusatian Artifacts

CZĘSTOCHOWA, POLAND—According to a Phys.org report, some ancient iron artifacts in the collection of the Częstochowa Museum in southern Poland were partially made from meteorite. A new study analyzed 26 objects that were originally found within burials in two Lusatian cemeteries located outside Częstochowa that date to between 750 and 600 b.c. The Lusatians were a Late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age culture that inhabited parts of Poland, Germany, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia. Scientists used X-ray fluorescence and scanning electron microscopy to analyze the artifacts and determined that four of them—three bracelets, an ankle ring, and a pin—had been made from meteoric iron. They all demonstrated high levels of nickel and probably came from the same meteorite, a rare type known as ataxite meteorite. The researchers believe that it is most likely that someone actually witnessed the meteorite fall to Earth before it was collected soon after, mixed with terrestrial ore, and manufactured into jewelry. To read about excavations of a Lusatian cemetery, go to "Around the World: Poland."