A research team led by Takafumi Matsui, director of the Chiba Institute of Technology Earth Science Research Center, visited the Egyptian Archaeological Museum to conduct a field survey of iron daggers found in the Tutankhamen coffin, and analyzed the elemental distribution of this iron sword for the first time in the world. carried out.The company aims to elucidate the manufacturing method of iron swords.
This iron sword was made in the 14th century BC, but it is stored in a casket and is in very good condition.There was no iron-making technology in Egypt at that time, and it was said that iron meteorites from space were processed to produce iron swords. In 2016, an Italian research team conducted a survey of iron swords and confirmed that the material was iron meteorite.However, it was unclear how it was processed without using steelmaking technology.
The research team analyzed the element distribution with a portable X-ray fluorescence analyzer and imaged microstructures on the surface with a 4K high-sensitivity camera.The investigation at the Egyptian Archaeological Museum was conducted non-destructively and non-contactly.We aim to elucidate the manufacturing method of iron swords by comparing the two-dimensional distribution information and surface texture of the elements in the iron sword obtained in this survey with those of iron meteorites.
As a result of the investigation, the iron sword contains 10-12% nickel.This indicates that iron meteorites classified as octahedrite were used as the material.On the other hand, the band-like pattern peculiar to octahedrite and the accompanying striped distribution of iron and nickel were not observed.Heat during manufacturing may have lost these characteristics.
In addition, sulfur and zinc were found in the black part of the iron sword.This part is likely to be a trace of the iron sulfide mineral troilite commonly contained in octahedrite.From this trace, it is expected that the heating temperature at the time of manufacture will be estimated.The presence of chlorine, which is thought to have been mixed from the atmosphere due to corrosion, was also confirmed in the black part.It is said that the time of corrosion will be verified by obtaining a photograph of the time when the dagger was first taken out of the casket.
