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Ancient Greek Elites Wore Jewelry Made From Space Metal, New Study Finds

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Today, if you want to seem fancy, you drape yourself in gold and diamonds. Back in ancient Iron Age societies, Mediterranean elites covered themselves in jewelry made from meteorites. There’s no better way to signal that you’re above everyone than by wearing jewelry that literally came from above us all.

According to a new study in the Journal of Archaeological Science, ancient Minoan and Mycenaean elites in Greece may have worn rings of iron forged from meteorites. Researchers analyzed 91 iron objects from 33 archaeological sites and found 13 had unusually high levels of nickel, which is strongly associated with meteorites. About 10 of those rings likely came from meteoritic iron.

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