![]() ![]() Each element in the blade gave off different wavelengths of radiation, allowing the scientists to determine its composition. The interdisciplinary team bombarded the knife with X-rays and looked at the radiation emitted by the metal in response. Iron meteorite portable#In the new study, published in the May issue of Meteoritics and Planetary Science, Comelli and her colleagues describe how they used a portable X-ray fluorescence (XRF) machine to examine the dagger at the Egyptian Museum of Cairo. X-ray Fluorescence Reveals Blade Composition Few iron objects from ancient times remain today, partly because of loss from corrosion. Even though craftsmen couldn’t melt meteorites, they could hammer them into beads, or into weapons like Tutankhamun’s dagger, Comelli said. Iron meteorite plus#Those extraterrestrial rarities contained iron plus other elements, including 10-30% nickel. However, the Egyptians had a source of iron that was easy to work with, although difficult to acquire: meteorites. Metalworkers commonly chose bronze, which is a copper-tin alloy, for making swords, spears, and tools, because its constituent metals were easier to mine, refine, and work with. The Egyptians had a source of iron that was easy to work with, although difficult to acquire: meteorites. Get the most fascinating science news stories of the week in your inbox every Friday. ![]() Gold and iron objects in that period were mainly for ornamental purposes-for gifts and so on,” said Daniela Comelli, a materials scientist at the Polytechnic University of Milan, in Italy, who is the lead author of the new study of the dagger. Ordinary people had to rely on “bronze, and previously copper. Because iron has a high melting point (1538☌), early smiths couldn’t heat ore enough to extract iron, nor could they forge the iron into weapons. Many ancient people valued iron more than gold. What’s more, that tardiness may have led to military defeats at the hands of rival civilizations that had already equipped their soldiers with iron weaponry. The new analysis suggests that ancient Egypt came late to using iron on a large scale, an expert in ancient metallurgy said. New analysis suggests that ancient Egypt came late to using iron on a large scale. A new study confirms what archaeologists have long suspected: Artisans crafted King Tut’s iron dagger from a meteorite. One had a gold blade, and the other was made of iron. When archaeologists first examined the mummy of King Tutankhamun in 1925, they found two beautiful daggers in the pharaoh’s linen wrappings. ![]()
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