“Alien” metal found in Bronze Age treasures (5 photos)

Metal of alien origin has been discovered in Bronze Age treasures known as the Villena Treasure. These treasures were found in Spain on December 1, 1963, and until modern research it was believed that they were made of ordinary gold and metal. It turned out that this was not the case.





The Villena Treasure is one of the largest Bronze Age hoards found on December 1, 1963, in a gravel pit in Alicante, Spain. Previously it was believed that the ancient collection was made of ordinary gold and metal. It consists of 59 gold objects (including 27 bracelets and 11 bowls), as well as several items made of silver or iron. When scientists found the collection, they immediately noticed unusual details in some of the objects - but it took decades of research to understand what these details were.



Scientists have determined that the gold-plated sword hilt (photo above) and bracelet from the collection are made of a strange dark metal that is “shiny in places and coated in others with an iron-like oxide.” Recently, experts determined that this metal is of extraterrestrial origin. The handle and bracelet were called "the first and oldest objects found on the Iberian Peninsula that are made of alien material." A study from the journal Trabajos de Prehistoria found that the iron used in these two artifacts came from a meteorite that fell to Earth about a million years ago. The objects themselves were made between 1400 and 1200 BC.





To study the origin of the metal, mass spectrometry was used to identify a substance, which determines its isotopic, elemental or chemical composition. Experts also determined that objects from the collection could belong to an entire community, and not just one person. In addition, during this historical period there were no kingdoms in the Iberian Peninsula. In any case, these items were of great value at one time. However, scientists have yet to find out who made the artifacts and where the “alien” material was found.