The discovery of the Bronze Age arrowhead made from meteoritic iron in Switzerland is a significant finding in the field of archaeology and provides valuable insights into ancient trade networks and the use of meteorites for crafting tools and weapons.
The arrowhead was found in the settlement of Mörigen in Switzerland, which was a thriving community during the Bronze Age, around 800 to 900 BCE. The arrowhead was initially discovered in the 19th century, but its true origin as meteoritic iron was only recently revealed through scientific analysis.
Geologist Beda Hofmann from the Natural History Museum of Bern and the University of Bern led the search for ancient artefacts made of meteoritic iron. Pure iron was a scarce resource in prehistoric times, so ancient societies relied on iron from meteorites that had fallen to Earth. These iron meteorites were more commonly found due to their ability to withstand atmospheric entry and were composed mainly of iron, with small amounts of nickel and other metals.
It is presumed that almost all Bronze Age iron tools and weapons were made from these meteorites. While most meteoritic iron artefacts have been found in the Middle East, Egypt, and Asia, a few have been discovered across Europe.
The settlement of Mörigen in Switzerland presented a promising location for the discovery of such artefacts, as it is close to the Twannberg field, known for meteoritic iron fragments from an ancient impact dating back to before the last ice age.
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Among the objects previously excavated from Mörigen, Hofmann’s team found a lone iron arrowhead. The arrowhead had the characteristic iron and nickel composition of meteoritic iron, along with traces of radioactive aluminium-26, which forms only in space. However, the mix of metals in the arrowhead did not match those in the local meteoritic iron.
This indicated that the arrowhead belonged to a specific class of iron meteorite called IAB meteorites. To narrow down the source, researchers compared the arrowhead’s metal composition with known meteorites. They found that it best matched the Kaalijarv meteorite, an IAB meteorite that fell around 1500 BCE.
The surprising aspect of the discovery is that Kaalijarv is located approximately 994 miles or 1,600 kilometres away from Mörigen. This suggests that the meteoritic iron used to craft the arrowhead possibly travelled enormous distances through ancient trade routes.
The finding highlights the existence of extensive trade networks that existed in prehistoric times, as ancient civilizations exchanged valuable resources, including meteoritic iron, over long distances. This demonstrates the sophistication and complexity of trade and cultural interactions during the Bronze Age.
Overall, the discovery of the meteoritic iron arrowhead in Switzerland provides valuable new insights into ancient societies’ use of natural resources from outer space and their interactions through trade networks, enriching our understanding of prehistoric human history and technology.
