Mörigen
TypeIron meteorite
Parent bodyKaali crater
CountrySwitzerland
RegionMörigen
Observed fallNo
Fall date1530–1450 BC
Found datecirca 1873, identified 2023
TKW2.9g

The Mörigen Arrowhead is a Bronze Age arrowhead made from an iron meteorite.[1] Discovered in 1873 in Lake Biel during excavations of a settlement dating to 900–800 B.C., the arrowhead is in the collection of the Bern Historical Museum in Switzerland, where a 2023 analysis confirmed its extraterrestrial origins.[1][2]

It is amongst 56 known ancient artifacts made of meteorites, of which the bulk (19 items) were found in Tomb of Tutankhamun in Egypt. [1][3][4]

Description

The meteorite is catalogued in Bern Historical Museum under accession number A/7396, and it was likely discovered in 1873 during a series of excavations of Bronze Age settlements by Eduard Jenner and Edmund von Fellenberg.[2]

Weighing 2.904 grams (0.1024 oz) and measuring 39.3 by 25 by 2.6 millimetres (1.55 in × 0.98 in × 0.10 in), the arrowhead was stored with a other bronze arrowheads in the museum's collection.[2] In 1987, its composition was determined to be iron, but no further analysis was conducted.[2][5] In February 2021, its meteoritic origins were investigated through a survey and search of the Bern History Museum's collection.[6]

Analysis

Many previous archaeological analysis of past iron meteorites utilized invasive and destructive methods, so to preserve the arrowhead, a combination of X-ray fluorescence (XRF), muon-induced X-ray emission (MIXE) and scanning electron microscopy were utilized to determine the composition of the artifact.[2][6]

Though it looked like a "typical arrowhead covered in rust", the composition of approximately 7.12–8.28% nickel, 0.85% cobalt, 135 ppm of gallium, and 263 ppm of germanium were determined by a combination of XRF and MIXE.[2][6] The metallic composition's consistency with that of IAB meteorites, with presence of aluminum-26, confirmed its meteoric origins.[2][6]

Initially, researchers hypothesized the arrowhead's origins to be the Twannberg meteorite, discovered nearby, but that was ruled out, as Twannberg has half the nickel content of the arrowhead.[4] Sample analysis of other identified IAB meteorites determined that the Kaalijarv meteorite in Estonia is the most viable candidate for the origins of the arrowhead.[1][2][4]

Given the lack of refined iron before the Iron Age, iron meteorites would be most viable source at the time. As such Möringen may have been the result of trade and, because of the scarcity of material, could have been forged from many fragments and utilized as a "prestige object".[3]

As a result of this discovery, the arrowhead is to be exhibited by the Bern History Museum from February 1, 2024, to April 25, 2025.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Nalewicki, Jennifer (2023-08-03). "Meteorite that crashed to Earth 3,500 years ago carved into arrowhead by Bronze Age hunters". livescience.com. Retrieved 2023-08-08.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Hofmann, Beda A.; Schreyer, Sabine Bolliger; Biswas, Sayani; Gerchow, Lars; Wiebe, Daniel; Schumann, Marc; Lindemann, Sebastian; García, Diego Ramírez; Lanari, Pierre; Gfeller, Frank; Vigo, Carlos; Das, Debarchan; Hotz, Fabian; von Schoeler, Katharina; Ninomiya, Kazuhiko; Niikura, Megumi; Ritjoho, Narongrit; Amato, Alex (2023-09-01). "An arrowhead made of meteoritic iron from the late Bronze Age settlement of Mörigen, Switzerland and its possible source". Journal of Archaeological Science. 157: 105827. doi:10.1016/j.jas.2023.105827. hdl:20.500.11850/625369. ISSN 0305-4403.
  3. 1 2 "3,000-year-old arrowhead found in Switzerland was made with iron from meteorite, researchers say". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2023-08-16.
  4. 1 2 3 Magazine, Smithsonian; Kuta, Sarah. "This Arrowhead Was Made From a Meteorite 3,000 Years Ago". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved 2023-08-16.
  5. ↑ Bernatzky-Goetze, Monika (1990-01-01). "Mörigen/Die spätbronzezeitlichen Funde". Praehistorische Zeitschrift. 65 (1). doi:10.1515/pz-1990-0124. ISSN 1613-0804.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "Mörigen". Meteoritical Bulletin Database. 30 Jul 2023. Retrieved 15 Aug 2023.
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