Tutankhamun's extraordinary dagger: a cosmic relic forged from Kharga meteorite iron

Upon examining the body of the Pharaoh, who died at the age of 19, researchers discovered an intriguing object near his right ear - a small dagger. This dagger is encased in a gold handle, adorned with a crystal ball, and features an iron blade. The discoverer of the tomb and its occupant, Howard Carter, eloquently referred to the weapon as a "florid golden dagger with a crystal base".

Present-day scientific researchers from Italy and Egypt, under the expert guidance of Dr. Daniela Comelli of the Department of Physics at the Polytechnic of Milan, performed extensive studies on the artifact. Their in-depth analysis of the dagger revealed that the artifact is far more unique than initially perceived.

The leading mystery was the uniform, steel blade constructed of iron with assorted additives. By analyzing it using spectrofluorometry, a process that involves examining samples subjected to X-ray radiation, the researchers successfully identified the exact composition of the material used to craft the Pharaoh's weapon.

The blade of Tutankhamun's dagger consists of 88 percent iron, 10.8 percent nickel, and 0.6 percent cobalt. This composition is unusual, as earthly iron items usually contain no more than 4 percent nickel. However, such proportions are quite typical for meteorites that have fallen to Earth.

Astonishingly, it seems precisely such celestial iron was used to forge the exceptional Pharaoh's weapon many centuries ago. Even more interesting is that due to the composition analysis, the scientists managed to determine the exact origin of the iron used in the dagger's construction. It is highly likely that the material was sourced from the Kharga meteorite, discovered near Alexandria in 2000.