Scientists recently discovered that some pieces of the magnificent Bronze Age collection known as the Villan hoard, found more than 60 years ago in Spain, contained iron from an alien meteorite that crashed into Earth about a million years ago.

Vilena’s treasures include artifacts made from precious materials such as gold, silver, amber and iron. Each piece in this collection tells the story of the culture, technology and traditions of people who lived in the Bronze Age between 1400 and 1200 BC.

Scientists who have delved deeper into the origin and structure of Willen’s treasure are now revealing unexpected information. They concluded that some objects were made of extraterrestrial materials. In particular, meteoritic iron, a space-borne material, has been detected in some artifacts.

A remarkable discovery about this ancient treasure was made possible by recent research: two of the iron objects were made of iron that fell to Earth from a meteorite several million years ago. The objects, consisting of a hollow sphere covered in gold leaf and a C-shaped bracelet, were symbols of the connection between the earthly and celestial realms, as well as exquisite examples of prehistoric handicrafts.

During the discovery, some elements of iron attracted the attention of researchers with their characteristic appearance resembling lead metal, shining in places and covered with an oxide similar to iron. Two pieces of iron were analyzed in the study, published December 30 in the journal Trabajos de Prehistoria.

The study shows that the iron used for these artifacts did indeed come from a meteorite, thanks to mass spectrometry analysis that identified an iron-nickel alloy similar to meteorite iron.

According to the research team’s findings, the iron bracelet, one of the Spanish treasures, was made of iron and nickel. This is important because meteoric iron usually contains more than 5 percent nickel.

These are the first and oldest meteoric iron artifacts discovered in the Iberian Peninsula. They shed light on Late Bronze Age metallurgical practices and show how these cultures innovated with new technologies. As a result, these artifacts serve not only as historical treasures, but also as windows into the past that allow us to understand the development of new technologies and the evolution of society.

These items join rare meteoric iron artifacts known from the 1st millennium BC, such as an arrowhead discovered in Switzerland and some objects in Poland.

Available evidence suggests that the composition of the Spanish artifacts is similar to that of the Mundabilla meteorite in Australia. However, it is not currently possible to say for sure that the ancient population used the materials of this particular meteorite to create these valuable treasures. In the future, researchers plan to conduct additional studies.