Analysis of a prehistoric Egyptian iron bead with implications for the use and perception of meteorite iron in ancient Egypt |
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| Authors: | Diane Johnson Joyce Tyldesley Tristan Lowe Philip J Withers Monica M Grady |
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| Institution: | 1. Department of Physical Sciences and Centre for Earth, Planetary, Space and Astronomical Research, The Open University, , Milton Keynes, MK7 6AA UK;2. Faculty of Life Sciences, The University of Manchester, , Manchester, M13 9PL UK;3. The Manchester Museum, University of Manchester, , Manchester, M13 9PL UK;4. Henry Moseley X‐Ray Imaging Facility, School of Materials, University of Manchester, , Manchester, UK;5. The Natural History Museum, , London, SW7 5BD UK |
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| Abstract: | Tube‐shaped beads excavated from grave pits at the prehistoric Gerzeh cemetery, approximately 3300 BCE, represent the earliest known use of iron in Egypt. Using a combination of scanning electron microscopy and micro X‐ray microcomputer tomography, we show that microstructural and chemical analysis of a Gerzeh iron bead is consistent with a cold‐worked iron meteorite. Thin fragments of parallel bands of taenite within a meteoritic Widmanstätten pattern are present, with structural distortion caused by cold‐working. The metal fragments retain their original chemistry of approximately 30 wt% nickel. The bulk of the bead is highly oxidized, with only approximately 2.4% of the total bead volume remaining as metal. Our results show that the first known example of the use of iron in Egypt was produced from a meteorite, its celestial origin having implications for both the perception of meteorite iron by ancient Egyptians and the development of metallurgical knowledge in the Nile Valley. |
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