Archaeologists made a groundbreaking discovery more than 60 years ago when they unearthed the Treasure of Villena, a Bronze Age hoard in Spain. This treasure trove, consisting of 59 gold objects, including bracelets and bowls, also contained pieces made of silver and iron. What made this find truly remarkable was the revelation that parts of the hoard were crafted from extraterrestrial metal.
Upon closer examination, experts discovered that certain iron pieces in the collection were made from a meteorite that fell to Earth approximately one million years ago. The iron sphere-shaped sword piece and the C-shaped bracelet were found to have originated from this meteoric iron, making them the first and oldest meteoritic iron objects found in the Iberian Peninsula.
