Study Shows That King Tut’s Dagger Was Made From a Meteorite

June 18, 2016 4:00 am
Tutankhamun
The burial mask of Egyptian Pharaoh Tutankhamun (Hannes Magerstaedt/Getty Images)
The burial mask of Egyptian Pharaoh Tutankhamun (Hannes Magerstaedt/Getty Images)

Egyptian King Tutankhamun continues to make a name for himself—posthumously, that is. Forget about his famed golden burial mask, which has museum-hopped since its discovery in 1925. Now, a professor at the Polytechnic University of Milan in Italy, has confirmed, in the journal Meteoritics and Planetary Science, that Tut’s dagger blade—also discovered with the mask—was made from the iron of a meteorite. The analysis was done using “X-ray fluorescence spectometry,” a method that identifies elements from the colors they emit. The results were compared to 11 metallic meteorite samples and showed undeniable similarities. King Tut must have had a penchant for the cosmic rock. Researchers believe his headrest and other daggers found in the tomb were made of meteoric iron as well. Read the study on the dagger’s meteoric composition here.

(Politecnico di Milano)

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