ariel
08-20-2013, 08:19 AM
The earliest known iron artifacts have been traced, and according to a new study, they were made from pieces of meteorites that were shaped by carefully hammering them into thin sheets before being rolled into tubes.
According to the study, conducted by researchers at the University College London in Qatar, or UCL, the ancient iron relics are made of nine small beads, which were excavated in 1911 from two burials near the village of el-Gerzeh, around 43 miles south of Cairo, in northern Egypt.
“The really exciting outcome of this research is that we were for the first time able to demonstrate conclusively that there are typical trace elements such as cobalt and germanium present in these beads, at levels that only occur in meteoritic iron,” Professor Thilo Rehren of UCL Archaeology, Qatar, said in a statement. “The composition of the beads is consistent with a meteoritic origin of the metal.”
According to the study, which was published in the Journal of Archaeological Science on Tuesday, the iron beads, dating back to approximately 3200 BC, were strung into a necklace together with other precious metals and gem stones, such as lapis lazuli, gold and carnelian.
http://www.ibtimes.com/meteor-pieces-hammered-iron-jewelry-egypt-5000-years-ago-1391369
According to the study, conducted by researchers at the University College London in Qatar, or UCL, the ancient iron relics are made of nine small beads, which were excavated in 1911 from two burials near the village of el-Gerzeh, around 43 miles south of Cairo, in northern Egypt.
“The really exciting outcome of this research is that we were for the first time able to demonstrate conclusively that there are typical trace elements such as cobalt and germanium present in these beads, at levels that only occur in meteoritic iron,” Professor Thilo Rehren of UCL Archaeology, Qatar, said in a statement. “The composition of the beads is consistent with a meteoritic origin of the metal.”
According to the study, which was published in the Journal of Archaeological Science on Tuesday, the iron beads, dating back to approximately 3200 BC, were strung into a necklace together with other precious metals and gem stones, such as lapis lazuli, gold and carnelian.
http://www.ibtimes.com/meteor-pieces-hammered-iron-jewelry-egypt-5000-years-ago-1391369