King Tut's dagger with a golden hilt found inside King Tut's tomb surprised archaeologists because the material used was not of earth origin. This mysterious iron-bladed dagger discovered during 1925 in the ancient Egyptian Pharaoh Tutankhamun's 14th century BC King's Valley tomb by archaeologist Howard Carter.
Now, two new studies are describe a conflicting origins of the mysterious dagger once wielded by the Egyptian pharaohs.
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| Image credit: livescience.com |
One of the studies on the dagger stated that the material used came from a meteor and was forged by ancient blacksmiths in the city of Anatolia in what is now Turkey.
While other studies show the origin of the material is still a mystery. Because when King Tutankhamun reigned from 1333 BC to 1323 BC, iron smelting techniques had not yet been discovered. This means metals are rare and valuable commodities that often come from meteors.
The blade’s composition of iron, nickel and cobalt “strongly suggests an extraterrestrial origin.” What’s more, it is nearly identical to the composition of a meteor found in the seaport city of Marsa Matruh, 150 miles west of Alexandria.
In one of the most recent studies published in the journal Meteoritics & Planetary Science, researchers describe how the adhesive used on the gold hilt of the dagger was likely made of lime plaster.
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| Image credit: history.com |
"This chalk plaster was not widely used in Egypt at that time," the researchers wrote.
In addition, historical records found at the site of Amarna, in Egypt, show that Tushratta, king of Mitanni in Anatolia, presented at least one iron dagger to Amenhotep III who reigned from about 1390 BC to 1352 BC.
The team also found that the blades were made by hot forging at a low temperature of less than 950 degrees Celsius.
Because a mineral called troilite and iron-nickel crystal formations are still visible on the dagger, the researchers wrote in the journal article.
Meanwhile, other researchers whose writings were published in a book entitled "Iron from Tutankhamun's Tomb" gave a different view. They argue, it is currently impossible to come to a conclusion regarding the origin of the Pharaoh's dagger.
The study's authors noted that the crystal stone from the blade's hilt was similar to an artifact widely used in the Aegean region. While the shape of the hilt indicates that this dagger is not made in Egypt.
Albert Jambon, a researcher at the University of the Sorbonne in France, is not convinced that the knife was made in Anatolia.
Jambon denied claims that lime plaster was used as an adhesive. He notes that in the 1920s, limestone powder was used to clean some of Tutankhamun's artifacts. The chemical test used in the study detected the cleaning solution was not an adhesive.
Also, the handle and blade are two separate parts and could have been manufactured in different places, Jambon said in an email.
Meanwhile, Marian Feldman, W.H. Collins Vickers, chair of archeology at Johns Hopkins University, said that if the dagger was produced in Anatolia it would be an important confirmation. "It could corroborate the notion that some of the lavish objects found in Tutankhamen's tomb were diplomatic gifts from other ancient kingdoms," Feldman wrote in an email.
More research is needed to confirm the findings, Feldman added.
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