Science's Greatest Mysteries | King Tut's Space Dagger | BBC Select

Why was a dagger made with iron from space found with the mummy of Tutankhamun?
In 1925, explorer Howard Carter miraculously discovered the tomb of Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun. Amongst the many treasures that were unearthed were a 12 pair of daggers lodged within the burial wrappings of the teenage king, all of which appeared to be made from iron that came from space. But how did these ancient people achieve this?
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[@marctoonz813]

Nuclear war on Mars possibly blasted rocks into space

[@sal8372]

Interesting

[@silvershadchan4085]

Space Saber.

[@jimad]

Disappointing episode - how would the dagger have been made - with what tools?

[@MossyMozart]

@ jimad - It's not THAT great a mystery. Tut's dagger is not the only object found in the world made from an iron meteor. (There are some found in the Great Lakes area of the USA.), Regarding Tut, there were other iron objects found with the king's mummy --- "Among the more than 5,000 artifacts recovered from Tut's tomb were 19 objects made of iron, including the dagger with its golden hilt, a miniature headrest, an amulet, and a set of blades that may have been used for the "opening of the mouth" ceremony (performed so that the deceased could eat and drink in the afterlife). There were also metallic beads and other precious stones strung across the mummy's waist and neck. Scientists analyzed one of the beads in 2013 and found that its microstructure and composition were very similar to that of an iron meteorite. The iron was likely worked into small thin sheets before being fashioned into beads. Archaeologists believe the use of iron was a means of indicating high status during this period in Egypt." [ ... ] "...the low amount of sulfur in the black patches and the Widmanstätten pattern [on the dagger] comprised strong evidence that King Tut's dagger was forged at a relatively low heat of less than 950° C (1,724° F). As for where the dagger came from, the Amarna letters offered a strong clue that it was a wedding gift to Amenhotep III by the king of Mitanni. This was bolstered by the fact that the team found the gemstones in the gold hilt had been attached with lime plaster. Although lime plaster was commonly used in Mitanni at the time, Egyptians preferred to use gypsum plaster." FROM - - - "X-rays help unlock secrets of King Tut’s iron dagger, made from a meteorite: It was forged at low temperatures and may have been a wedding gift to Tut's grandfather." --- arstechnica.com/science/2022/02/x-rays-help-unlock-secrets-of-king-tuts-iron-dagger-made-from-a-meteorite/

[@Noms_Chompsky]

It's cool, being on the telly has got to make you nervous, we all knew you meant careen. Stay awesome and laugh at it.

[@dmurphy42]

Career: as a verb: to proceed or move quickly. Maybe check your own knowledge next time before correcting others. See Merriam-Webster

[@Noms_Chompsky]

@@dmurphy42 You on the other hand, distinctly not awesome. Thppppt! Cool verb usage though, new to me and I shall apply.

[@dmurphy42]

@@Noms_Chompsky passive aggressive much?

[@thisthat283]

Egyptians didn't have the ability to smelt? Yet they mad chains. This guy missed Basic grade 1 elementary history class it seems.

[@petarvanj4343]

Tutankhamen was racist and transphobic #Cancel ancient Kings 👑

[@chadsmith7075]

Thanks for the info I needed

[@sheldoncampbell2139]

well he was a Nazi wasn't he?

[@rachelkristine4669]

Prove it. Produce hyroglyphs & go ahead & translate them in your answer. Will wait........🧐

[@irishka_zolotse]

Rubbish

[@MossyMozart]

@Xiang Fu - How in the world and time can you evaluate such a thing about a man who lived about 3,500 years ago in a completely foreign culture to ours?