Ancient axe from space discovered in China
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Archaeologists in Sichuan Province, China, uncovered a 3,000-year-old axe made of metal not originating on Earth during a decade of excavations.
The team, led by Haichao Li from Sichuan University, found the axe alongside thousands of ritual items including bronze masks, ivory tools, and jade figurines at the Sanxingdui site. Analysis published in Archaeological Research in Asia revealed the axe is composed of 90% iron with 7.41% nickel, a composition impossible for the ancient Sanxingdui culture to create themselves.
The artifact’s high and evenly distributed nickel content, exceeding levels found in other Chinese meteoritic iron discoveries, suggests it formed in space. Scientists determined the metal’s granular structure indicates slow cooling occurring outside of Earth’s atmosphere, a process difficult to replicate with the metalworking techniques available during the late Shang Dynasty (approximately 1600 to 1050 BCE). At the time, Chinese metalworkers primarily worked with bronze, an alloy of copper and tin, achieving a high level of skill with the material.
Iron smelting did not become widespread in China until around 800 BCE, meaning the technology to create the axe’s unique composition was unavailable. Researchers now characterize the axe as the oldest meteoritic iron artifact from the Bronze Age discovered in southwest China, providing new insight into early iron use both locally and globally.
