Home » Reference » Humanities » History » Meet King Tut’s dagger, which was found in his tomb and is believed to have been made from iron from a meteor. At the time of King Tut, iron smelting was rare and the iron would have been worth more than gold.

Meet King Tut’s dagger, which was found in his tomb and is believed to have been made from iron from a meteor. At the time of King Tut, iron smelting was rare and the iron would have been worth more than gold.

Tutankhamun’s meteoric iron dagger

Tutankhamun’s iron dagger blade and ornamental gold sheath

Tutankhamun’s iron dagger is an iron dagger originally discovered in 1925 in Tutankhamun’s 14th century BC King’s Valley tomb by archaeologist Howard Carter. The dagger is of meteorite origin. It closely correlates with meteoric composition, including homogeneity. The dagger is currently displayed at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.

Analysis

Since the 1960s, the high nickel content in the blade has been accepted as indicative of meteoric origin. A more recent study published in June 2016 derived from x-ray fluorescence spectrometer analysis show that the blade’s composition is mostly iron (Fe) and 11% nickel (Ni) and 0.6% cobalt (Co). This means its composition is placed wi… Continue Reading (5 minute read)

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