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An archaeological find discovered in Spain in 1963 has gained new scientific significance after the study was published in a journal Background of the Workwhich indicates that part of this historic complex was made of iron from meteoritesa material alien to Earth and extremely valuable in the Bronze Age.
The one known as Vilnius treasurelocated in the province of Alicante, consists of 66 pieces, mostly gold, and is one of the most relevant complexes of prehistoric European goldsmithing. Since its discovery, the treasure has been the subject of much research due to its technical complexity and extraordinary state of preservation.
Two pieces that don’t fit
Within the group, they stood out two objects that have caused confusion among specialists: bracelet with an oxidized look and a hollow hemisphere finished in gold. Both represented an iron appearance that does not match the usual chronology of iron worked in the peninsula.
Large-scale production of earth iron did not begin in this area to about the 9th century BC. c.while the rest of the hoard was dated to the 15th and 13th centuries BC. C. This temporal discrepancy made these works an anomaly that was difficult to explain for decades.
Iron from space
An investigation led by Salvador Roviri-Llorens, former head of conservation at the National Archaeological Museum, found an unusual hypothesis, but documented in other ancient contexts: use meteoric irona material used before the Iron Age because of its rarity and symbolic value.
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R. Badillo
With the permission of the Municipal Archaeological Museum of Villena, the team analyzed small samples using mass spectrometry. Despite the corrosion accumulated over the centuries, The results showed a high nickel contentcharacteristic indicator of iron from meteorites.
The obtained data allow placing both parts between 1400 and 1200 BC. C., fully integrating them into a whole. According to the authors, they could be the first documentary evidence of meteoric iron on the peninsulaindicating a more advanced level of technology than was believed in Bronze Age societies.
