As futuristic as it sounds, weapons forged from meteorites date back millennia. In fact, after gold and copper, the earliest metal objects ever made by humans were probably made with outer space iron. In other words, the Iron Age came from the stars.
Not just any meteorites can be used, however; they need to be meteoric iron, an iron-nickel alloy with otherworldly properties. Not only is it more malleable than the iron formed on Earth (hence its use in primitive technology), but it’s also virtually rust-proof. Throughout the Middle East, it was known as “fire (or lightning, or thunderbolt, or metal) from heaven.” The Hittites of ancient Turkey actually had a saying: “gold comes from Birununda, the copper from Taggasta, but the iron comes from heaven.”
Civilizations elsewhere around the world, from Asia to South America to the Arctic, have also revered this alloy—particularly in the forging of weapons. Damascus steel may have been made from meteorites and, to the dismay of meteorite researchers, we’re still using them to make weapons today.
From the distant past to the cutting-edge present, here are ten of the finest examples.
10. Inughuit harpoon tips
For thousands of years, the Inuit—especially the Inughuit of Greenland—have used meteoric iron to fashion tools for survival. They sourced it from one of the largest known meteorites ever to hit Earth: the Cape York meteorite, which landed on what came to be known as Meteorite Island. Because of its natural malleability, meteoric iron is uniquely suited to craftsmen in the Arctic wastes. Unlike with iron ore, heat isn’t necessary to forge it. Instead, the Inuit chipped off what they needed and just hammered it into shape—a technique known as cold forging. It’s kind of like flint-knapping metal.
The most common tools they crafted were harpoon tips and knife blades, typically fixed onto Narwhal tusks. For Inuit material culture, this was a giant leap forward from the earlier bone and stone tools.
9. Alaca Höyük dagger
The Alaca Höyük dagger, unearthed from the ancient site of the same name in Turkey, is among the earliest known meteoric weapons—dating to roughly 2500 BC. It also revolutionized archaeologists’ understanding of the human history of iron. Previously, archaeologists believed the technology to smelt iron from terrestrial ores was developed in the Near East around 1200 BC. However, the Alaca Höyük dagger, along with other ancient iron artifacts such as the Gerzeh beads from Egypt, predates this by millennia—hence the consensus nowadays that meteorites were the primary source of iron prior to the Iron Age.
The dagger is a product of the Hattian culture, an early Anatolian civilization, which thrived from 3000 BC until its assimilation into the Hittites 1000 years later. Its elaborate solid gold hilt suggests it was used ceremonially. As with other examples below, the meteoric iron composition was confirmed using a portable X-ray fluorescence analyzer, scanning for the distinctive chemical signature of nickel or cobalt—a hallmark of meteoritic origin.
Nowadays you can see the dagger for yourself at the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations in Ankara.
8. Tutankhamun’s iron dagger
The discovery of the pharaoh Tutankhamun’s tomb in 1922 revealed a great many fascinating artifacts, but the iron dagger stands out among them. Dating to approximately 1350 BC, it’s a stunning example of how meteoric iron was used in ancient Egypt in the service of “living gods”.
The blade itself is unique, with a richly decorated solid gold hilt, rock crystal pommel, and ornate sheath embellished with lilies and jackals. Its meteoric origin was actually confirmed during the same set of scans as the Alaca Höyük dagger.
It’s hard to imagine nowadays but in ancient Egypt, as elsewhere, iron was rare and exceedingly precious—hence the inclusion of iron objects in the burial of Tutankhamun. It’s worth bearing in mind this was long before the Iron Age had begun. So the iron dagger (and earlier discoveries like the meteoric iron beads from Gerzeh) is further evidence that ancient civilizations used meteorites long before mining for ores.
7. Chinese dragon axes
Heaven has always guided Chinese cosmology, philosophy, religion, and even politics. Aspiring emperors, for example, required the ‘mandate’, or approval, of Heaven to rule. So it should come as no surprise that Heaven also features (literally) in Chinese material culture. As elsewhere, the first iron tools likely came from space. Weapons made from meteoric iron would have offered a superior alternative or in this case addition, to the more traditional bronze—and one imbued with powerful symbolism.
There are two early Zhou dynasty axe heads of particular interest to scholars—a broad type and a dagger type, both roughly 20 centimeters in length, weighing 400 grams, and dating to roughly 1027 BC. The broad axe head has a bronze tang and meteoric iron blade, demonstrating sophisticated metallurgy—as well as ornate decoration, featuring a stylized dragon and fao fieh mask inlaid with tesserae. The dagger axe similarly has an iron point securely cast onto a bronze body embellished with dragon motifs.
Interestingly, given their decorative appearance, both seem to have been functional as well as ceremonial in function.
6. Mörigen arrowheads
In the 19th century, archaeologists in Mörigen, Switzerland unearthed a Bronze Age arrowhead with an extraordinary secret. Forged sometime between 800 and 900 BC, this tiny artifact measured just 39 mm in length and weighed only three grams; but it was composed of something out of this world: meteoritic iron.
The discovery was groundbreaking too. In the Bronze Age, iron was very rarely used due to the complexity of extraction from natural ores. But here was an example of using iron that fell from the sky—and for something as mass-produced as an arrowhead too.
Analysis showed the composition included iron, nickel, and the telltale radioactive isotope aluminum-26, confirming its extraterrestrial origin. Unexpectedly, however, its composition didn’t match specimens found in the nearby Twannberg field. Instead, the closest match was the Kaalijarv meteorite from Estonia, about 1,600 kilometers away—suggesting the presence of extensive trade networks in prehistoric Europe. The arrowhead’s journey probably followed trade routes for Baltic amber, indicating its value as a commodity spanning long distances.
5. Jahangir’s space blades
In the early 17th century, a meteorite crashed in Jullundar (modern Jalandhar), India, causing an explosion that shook the whole region. Local tax collector Muhammad Sa’id was the first on the scene, discovering an enormous, red-hot lump of iron in the middle of a smoldering crater. Sa’id knew exactly what it was—ahan I barq, or “lightning iron”—and immediately had it sent to the Emperor.
Like most rulers, the Mughal Emperor Jahangir believed himself divinely ordained and naturally saw the meteorite as a gift from above. Upon receiving the lump of otherworldly iron, he commissioned his best armorer to forge him three weapons befitting his office: two magnificent swords and a dagger, unmatched in beauty and sharpness.
The swords, named Shamsher I Qati (“Cutting Sword”) and Shamsher I Barq-sirisht (“Lightning Natured Sword”), became symbols of his power and divine approval. They also reflected his deep personal interest in science; the Mughal court was a center of intellectual activity and Jahangir was an enthusiastic patron.
4. Czar Alexander’s peace sword
In the early nineteenth century, in recognition of his role in defeating Napoleon, the Russian Czar Alexander I received an extraordinary gift: a sword forged from the Cape of Good Hope meteorite. Found by Europeans in the eighteenth century, this amorphous lump of iron and nickel showed interesting evidence of having been used as a ship’s anchor in the past.
The British naturalist and astronomer James Sowerby oversaw the sword-making process. Not knowing what we know now, he thought it would be the first of its kind. The blade itself, which took a mere 10 hours of hot and cold forging from the raw material, still has its original luster and luxurious appearance—curved with a steel hilt and fish skin grip, complete with bands of silver. The inscription on one side reads “PURE METEORIC IRON,” while the other side waxes more lyrical about the iron “having fallen from the heavens”. The blade also features the Imperial Crown, the two-headed eagle of Russia, and a palm and laurel wreath surrounding the word “MERCY”. The scabbard is thought to be pig skin, again with steel fittings.
In return for the gift, the emperor sent Sowerby a ring encrusted with diamonds.
3. Sir Terry’s magic sword
When Terry Pratchett, the author of the Discworld series, was knighted in 2010, he embraced the honorific in a manner befitting his legacy: he forged himself a sword. It couldn’t be just any sword; it had to be a sword from outer space.
Having found deposits of meteoric iron ore in a field near his home in rural Wiltshire, he decided to infuse his new weapon with “thunderbolt iron.” He even smelted the ore himself, using a makeshift kiln made of clay and hay. This hands-on approach, he said, gave a tangible reality to his literary work. He did, however, get a local blacksmith to shape the sword and adorn it with silverwork. It was a true knight’s blade. Unfortunately, though, with England being what it is today, it would have been illegal to carry it. Instead, this knight of the realm felt obliged to stash it away in a secret location to avoid any trouble with the police.
2. Tentetsutou
The Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi (“Grass Cutting Sword”), formerly known as Ame-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi (“Heavenly Sword of Gathering Clouds”) is a legendary Japanese sword and part of the Imperial Regalia. However, it’s so sacred to the Shinto religion that nobody can see it except during rare coronations. As the story goes, it was found inside a vanquished serpent by the deity Susanoo and bestowed upon the sun goddess Amaterasu. Because scientists aren’t allowed to analyze the metal, this origin remains the best we have to go on. But it is now thought to have been crafted from meteoric iron—which makes it no less a symbol of approval from the gods.
Much more is known about the Tentetsutou or “Sword of Heaven,” a 21st-century katana from the modern swordsmith Yoshindo Yoshiwara. Forged from the billion-year-old Gibeon meteorite that landed in Namibia 450 million years ago, it calls to mind humans’ earliest discoveries of iron. And, unlike the Kusanagi, it’s openly on display to the public. You can see it at the Chiba Institute of Technology.
1. Cabot Guns’ pistol set
Swords and knives won’t get you far nowadays, even if they are made of space metal. Enter Cabot Guns’ Big Bang pistol set, a pair of 1911 semi-automatic pistols crafted from a billion-year-old Gibeon meteorite. They’re not just the first firearms but the first mechanical devices of any kind made from off-world materials—although the mechanical components themselves (the springs, barrels, pins, screws, etc.) are made of more conventional materials. Nevertheless, as you might expect, there were significant technical challenges and the process called for X-rays, 3D modeling, and electron-beam welding so as not to damage the metal. One problem was the natural heat treatment the meteorite had during its journey through space—leaving it relatively soft and filled with inclusions (specifically oxide and sulfide compounds), threatening the metal’s integrity.
The resulting guns are a marvel, both from an engineering and aesthetic perspective. Acid-etched to reveal the Gibeon’s famous and highly prized Widmanstätten crystalline pattern, parts of the pistols retain the meteorite’s natural outer surface or “bark”. Each pistol in the set is also unique, mirroring the other as a right- and left-handed pair. The serial numbers, meanwhile, contain the geographical coordinates where the Gibeon meteorite was discovered.
The asking price for the pair is fittingly astronomical: $4.5 million—more than any other guns ever sold.