The mysterious dagger of Tutankhamun raises questions… Is it a gift from space?

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2 years ago

Two new studies have attempted to reveal the origins of the dagger of Tutankhamun, the most famous pharaonic king who ruled Egypt.

Archaeologists had previously claimed that the dagger was a “gift from outer space”, because it was made of meteorite iron.

By the time King Tutankhamun ruled (1333 BC to 1323 BC), iron smelting had not yet been invented, which meant that the metal was a rare and precious commodity that often came from meteorites.

But the two recent studies have now drawn conflicting accounts of the mysterious weapon, perhaps wielded by the most famous ancient Egyptian pharaoh.

The first study, published on February 11 in the journal “Meteoritics & Planetary Science”, claims that the adhesive used on the golden handle of the dagger was likely made of lime, a substance that was used in Anatolia (present-day Turkey) at the time of Tutankhamun’s rule. Amon, the researchers pointed out that “this plaster was not widely used in Egypt at that time.”
The study researchers also pointed out that historical records found at the site of Tell el-Amarna in Egypt show that the Mitanni king in Anatolia, Tushrata, gifted at least one iron dagger to Amenhotep III (who ruled from about 1390 BC to 1352 BC), a grandfather of Tutankhamun.
The study team also found that “the iron blade was made by low-temperature heat formed at less than 950 degrees Celsius [1,742 degrees Fahrenheit]”, where there can be a mineral called troelite, as well as formations of iron and nickel crystals detected on the dagger.
Commenting on the results of the first study, Marian Feldman, head of the Department of Archeology at Johns Hopkins University, told Live Science that “if the team’s findings regarding the manufacture of the dagger in Anatolia are correct, it will be an important confirmation that some luxury objects The ones found in the tomb of Tutankhamun were diplomatic gifts from abroad.

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However, in the second study, which was published in the book “Iron from Tutankhamun’s Tomb” published by the American University in Cairo in the current year 2022, the researchers found that “it is currently impossible to reach a reliable conclusion about the origin of the iron objects of Tutankhamun, or to determine The materials that made it.
The authors of the study noted that the “rock crystal” of the dagger ring resembles the handicrafts widely used in the Aegean region, while the “typical Egyptian shape refers either to manufacturing in Egypt or foreign production to the Egyptian market,” and “as a result, it is not possible to Create a comprehensive and clear conception of the origin of the dagger’s handle and blade,” they said.