An ancient treasure approximately 3,000 years old has puzzled scientists in Spain after new analysis revealed that some of its artifacts were made from "strange metals" that came from outside the planet. Researchers conducted a new analysis of the treasure of Villena, which consists of 59 pieces gilded with gold discovered in 1963, and found that two objects contained meteoric iron.
The researchers identified a crown or cap and a bracelet that contain meteoric iron, with the first made up of 5.5% of the material while the second is composed of only 2.8%. A team of Spanish and Saudi scientists measured the particles in each piece, allowing them to search for traces of iron and nickel alloys.
Meteoric iron is the remnants of a primordial planetary disc from the early universe found in iron and nickel meteorites. According to the team, the gold-plated crown and bracelet contain material from outside Earth from a meteorite that collided with it about a million years ago, as estimated by the team, according to the British "Daily Mail."
It is worth noting that the artifacts were discovered by archaeologist José María Soler in December 1963 while he and his team were excavating at the bottom of a dry river known as "Rampla del Panadero," about seven miles from Villena. Since then, the treasures have been preserved in the local archaeological museum, allowing for the new analysis that revealed the strange metals.
