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Ancient Arrowhead Made of Meteorite Material Found in Switzerland,
Mystifying Archaeologists
Francesca Aton

BY FRANCESCA ATON

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August 2, 2023 2:18pm
A Bronze-Age arrowhead made of meteoritic iron, Mörigen, Switzerland.
A Bronze-Age arrowhead made of meteoritic iron, Mörigen, Switzerland.
COURTESY HOFMANN ET AL., JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL SCIENCE
An arrowhead likely comprised of material from a meteorite was
discovered in Switzerland by a team of archaeologists and geologists,
according to a study published in the Journal of Archaeological Science.

The team determined that the arrowhead was made of an
iron-nickel-aluminium alloy using electron-microscope images, X-rays,
and high-energy radiation analysis. The results were then compared with
other known meteorite samples.

A bracelet and an ax head from Poland are the only two known
archaeological artifacts in central and western Europe made from
meteorite material.

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Switzerland has yielded archaeological treasures at Mörigen, a late
Bronze Age pile-dwelling that once sat along the shores of a lake. A
series of arrowheads made of bronze were discovered at the Swiss
archeological site of Mörigen more than 100 years ago, and while there
have previously never been any meteorite-related finds, it is known that
there was a meteorite fall nearby the site.

The Twannberg iron meteorite is the largest found one known to have
reached Switzerland. It split into three fragments that may have been
discovered in prehistoric times and used by those at Mörigen to
construct the arrowhead.

Chemical evidence suggests that the Twannberg meteorite was not used to
make this particular arrowhead, however.

Having ruled out the Twannberg meteorite, the team widened their search,
observing that the nickel and germanium concentrations in the Mörigen
arrowhead share similarities with the Estonian Kaalijarv meteorite,
which fell roughly 3,500 years ago during the Bronze Age and produced a
number of small fragments. Even though Estonia is near the Baltic Sea in
Northern Europe, researchers believe the arrowhead is more likely
connected to this meteorite based on similar properties.

Though the team is searching for more artifacts of the same origin to
further their study, this meteorite arrowhead could point to a larger
network linking Switzerland and Estonia for the trade of such
commodities as amber, silex stones, and iron meteorites.

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