Why the metal dagger found in the tomb of Tutankhamen did not rust

In ancient times, people, as now, used weapons, although they had a significant difference from modern ones, and honored their own traditions. Thanks to the latter, our contemporaries have the opportunity to get an idea of ​​the distant past. Quite strange things have happened as well. For example, the iron dagger of Tutankhamun, for thousands of years, not only did not lose its appearance, but also did not receive any damage at all. There is not even rust on it - how can this phenomenon be explained?

1. Funerary traditions

The pharaoh went to the realm of the dead, accompanied by ushebti, these figurines were supposed to come to life there and become the servants of their master / Photo: mif-mira.ru

Since the Paleolithic, people have been in full confidence that after the end of a person’s earthly path, his other life will begin. Naturally, the deceased and his position in the other world were taken care of in advance. So that he would not starve and live in poverty, food was left with him in the grave (initially it was real, and then it was replaced with a symbolic one), clothes and, of course, weapons. The tradition continued for a long time. For example, the Scandinavians of the Middle Ages, when they buried their leader, put everything they needed together with him on the ship. So their jarl could continue to lead his usual way of life in another world. But the most responsible in this matter were the inhabitants of Ancient Egypt.

Of course, they did not act like the Vikings. That is, at the funeral they did not kill the wife of the deceased, nor his slaves. They had a slightly different idea. The pharaoh went to the realm of the dead, accompanied by an ushabti. These figurines there were supposed to come to life and become the servants of their master. For example, in the tomb of Seti I (Pharaoh), up to seven hundred statuettes were found. The craftsmen paid special attention to details in their manufacture. Each of the figures had its own inscription containing the duties of a "servant" after he comes to life.

A variety of valuable items were placed in the tomb along with the pharaoh. In each such burial there were necessarily jewelry and gold items. Naturally, almost always such burials became a welcome prey for grave robbers. Very rarely, archaeologists have found an ancient burial place untouched by anyone.

2. Tomb of Tutankhamen

The sensation concerning the burial of Tutankhamun appeared in all the newspapers of the world in 1922. The pharaoh belonged to the XVIII dynasty and was the ruler of Egypt in the fourteenth century BC. There were many items and things in the tomb, including unique jewelry.

It was here that 2 daggers were found: gold and iron. Despite the fact that at that time no one was engaged in iron mining, the presence of this product was not surprising. People used nuggets discovered by pure chance, or iron that fell from the sky - meteorite. By the way, there was even a separate hieroglyph as a designation of the metal contained in iron meteorites.

It was from this metal that the dagger of the pharaoh was made. But other items were also made. For example, a knife found in Ur, the Sumerian city-state. It is dated to the XXXI century BC. In 1911 iron beads were found near Cairo, which scientists attributed to the 20th century. Later, such products were also made. German archaeologists in 1938 In Tibet, a statue of a man was discovered that weighed 10.6 kilograms. It was made of meteoric iron in the 11th century. And for the raja from the same material in the 17th century, a whole weapon set was made, which included: 2 sabers, a spearhead and a dagger.

Then there was already our own metal, but people continued to use gifts from heaven. The reason in this case is obvious. The iron dagger found in the tomb of Tutankhamun was not touched by corrosion, and this was after he had lain there for 3,000 years. All other items made of meteoric iron are just as well preserved, regardless of age.

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3. Research results

A team of researchers from the Technical University of Milan in 2016 brought to Cairo, to the museum in which this famous dagger is located, a special device called an X-ray fluorescence spectrometer. It was he who made it possible to determine the composition of the heavenly metal. In addition to iron, it contains eleven percent nickel and additives of sulfur, phosphorus, cobalt and carbon.
Thanks to the ratio of all these elements, the meteorite was identified. Near Kharga (oasis) in 2000 a piece of a meteorite that fell to Earth many thousands of years ago was discovered. Its composition is similar to that from which the pharaoh's dagger is made.

In continuation of the topic, read what 10 unexpected and strange artifacts have been discovered on the surface of archaeological antiquities.
A source: https://novate.ru/blogs/150921/60554/

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