This 3,000-year-old gold hoard found in Spain contains jewelry made with metals from 'beyond planet Earth,' scientists say

A new analysis of ancient treasures discovered in Spain has revealed that some artefacts were made with 'alien metals' 3,000 years ago.

Scientists conducted a new analysis of the Villena Treasure, a hoard of 59 gold-plated objects found in 1963, during which two objects containing meteoric iron were found.

Meteoric iron is a protoplanetary disk remnant from the early universe found in meteorites made of iron and nickel.

According to the team's estimates, a gold-lined cap and bracelet contained the alien material from a meteor that crashed into Earth a million years ago.

The study explained that meteoritic iron is found in certain types of stony meteorites, which are mainly composed of silicates – a salt made of silicon and oxygen.

“Because they come from space, they are composed of an iron-nickel alloy with a variable nickel composition of more than five percent by weight,” researchers wrote.

'They also contain other minor chemical elements and trace elements, of which cobalt is one of the most important.'

Using fallen meteorites to model objects was a common practice thousands of years ago, when a similar artifact was found in Tutankhamun's tomb.

The Villena Treasure was discovered on the Iberian Peninsula, revealing a glimpse into the time when humans transitioned from stone to bronze.

However, the treasure probably belonged to an entire community and not to a single royal family.

About 90 percent of the collection is made with 23.5-karat gold and includes eleven bowls, three bottles and 28 bracelets.

The artefacts were discovered by archaeologist José Maria Soler in December 1963, while he and his team were excavating a dry riverbed called the 'Rambla del Panadero' – about eleven kilometers from Villena.

The treasures have since been housed in the city's Archaeological Museum, making possible the new analysis that uncovered the alien metals.

The team of Spanish and Saudi Arabian scientists measured the molecules in each of the pieces, allowing them to look for traces of an iron-nickel alloy.

Researchers found a cap and bracelet containing meteoric iron – the former made up 5.5 percent of the material and the latter only 2.8 percent.

The artefacts were discovered by archaeologist José Maria Soler in December 1963, while he and his team were excavating a dry riverbed called the 'Rambla del Panadero' – about eleven kilometers from Villena.

Researchers found a cap and bracelet containing meteoric iron – the former had 5.5 percent and the latter only 2.8 percent

Study senior author Ignacio Montero Ruiz, a researcher at the Spanish Institute of History, said Living Science: 'Iron technology is completely different from copper-based metallurgy and precious metals (gold and silver).

'So people who started working with meteoritic iron and later with terrestrial iron must also do so [have had to] innovate and develop new technology.'

'However, the levels of nickel in terrestrial iron are generally low or very low and often undetectable in analysis.'

In 2016, researchers from the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, the Polytechnic University of Milan and the University of Pisa announced a dagger, intricately decorated and encased in a gold sheath, with a blade made of iron from a meteorite.

The team used a similar technique to examine the metal's composition, comparing it to a meteorite called Kharga, which was found in 2000 on Egypt's Maras Matruh Plateau, 150 miles west of Alexandria.

The dagger is considered one of the most striking objects recovered from Tutankhamun's tomb due to the fine metalwork on display.

It was found in the sarcophagus of the young pharaoh.

The handle has a finely embossed gold handle with a crystal pommel, while the scabbard was decorated with a floral motif, feather patterns and the head of a jackal.