Rings from space: The secret revealed in ancient elite jewelry
A new study published in the "Journal of Archaeological Science" reveals an unusual detail about jewelry used by ancient elites in Greece: an examination of 91 iron objects found that 13 rings contained significant amounts of nickel, indicating the use of meteoric iron. Researchers determined that nine of these rings are highly likely of meteoric origin.
A new study published in the "Journal of Archaeological Science" reveals an unusual detail about jewelry used by ancient elites in Greece: an examination of 91 iron objects found that 13 rings contained a significant amount of nickel, a sign that could indicate the use of meteoric iron. The researchers determined that nine of the rings are very likely of meteoric origin, one more is highly likely, while three require further examination.
Long before iron became a common material for producing tools and weapons, humans already knew how to use a completely different type of iron — one that arrived on Earth inside meteorites. To check whether the Minoan and Mycenaean pagan cultures in Greece also used this rare material, researchers Matthieu Gounelle and Eleni Mantzourani embarked on a study that lasted about five years. They examined more than a hundred archaeological findings from 33 sites, preserved in 19 museums, and focused on 91 objects made of iron.
The examination was done using a device that allows for the study of the chemical composition of the objects without damaging them. A striking result was that 13 items were found to contain a significant amount of nickel — a material that researchers use as one of the signs for identifying iron of meteoric origin.
But there was another detail that made the finding especially intriguing: all 13 items were rings. Some of the rings were even combined with other valuable materials, including gold, silver, and bronze. Most of them were found in magnificent tombs alongside other luxury items, such as gold vessels, amber jewelry, and seals. One of the rings was discovered under particularly unusual circumstances: it was found at a Minoan site on Crete, still on the finger of a person identified in the study as likely being a high-ranking priest.
The location where the rings and the objects found alongside them were discovered led the researchers to the hypothesis that they were not just fashion items. According to them, "these observations led us to hypothesize that rings that were likely made from meteorites could have been popular symbols of power among prominent people, members of the Minoan and Mycenaean palace elite."
Gounelle explained that the context in which the jewelry was found strengthens the possibility that they belonged to people of high status. According to him, it is possible that the special value of the iron also stemmed from the fact that people already understood that its source was the sky.
The researchers even raise the possibility that the raw material from which the rings were created arrived in Greece from Egypt. The reason is simple: meteorites are relatively rare in Greece, while the desert conditions in Egypt allow them to be preserved and accumulate better. The trade relations that existed in the region at that time make this possibility reasonable in the eyes of the researchers, but it is a hypothesis and not direct proof of the origin of the rings.
The study also examined objects that did not contain the characteristic signs of nickel. The researchers concluded that most of the iron objects tested were created from iron that was extracted and processed by humans and not from material that arrived from meteorites.
The findings indicate that at a certain stage, a distinction existed between the two types of iron: the rare meteoric iron appeared mainly in luxury objects, while iron extracted by humans was usually used for simpler objects. Later, the use of meteoric iron declined. The researchers offer several possible explanations for this — from social, political, and economic changes to a much simpler possibility: fashion changed. As the researchers wrote, it is possible that "the fashion for finger rings made of meteoric iron [...] simply faded naturally, as happens with any fashion."
The use of meteorites is not unique to Greece. Throughout history, objects made of meteoric iron have been found in various places around the world — from jewelry to weapons. One of the most famous findings is the iron dagger found in the tomb of Tutankhamun in Egypt. However, until the current study, it was not clear whether the Minoans and Mycenaeans also used iron that arrived from meteorites. The researchers present the work as the first clear identification of such objects in Greece.
This means that the rings can tell much more than the story of a rare material. They provide a glimpse into how ancient elites signaled power and status: in a period when iron was still an unusual material, wearing on the finger a metal that arrived from the sky could have been a powerful symbol of luxury.
