Editing Iron (section)

====Meteoritic iron====
[[File:Meteorite iron harpoon.jpg|thumb|Iron harpoon head from [[Greenland]]. The iron edge covers a [[narwhal]] tusk harpoon using meteorite iron from the [[Cape York meteorite]], one of the largest iron meteorites known.]]
Beads made from [[meteoric iron]] in 3500 BC or earlier were found in [[Gerzeh culture|Gerzeh]], Egypt by [[G. A. Wainwright]].{{sfn|Weeks|1968|p=31}}<!-- Typo on page 31 refers to "G. W." but reference at end of chapter says "G. A." --> The beads contain 7.5% nickel, which is a signature of meteoric origin since iron found in the Earth's crust generally has only minuscule nickel impurities.

Meteoric iron was highly regarded due to its origin in the heavens and was often used to forge weapons and tools.{{sfn|Weeks|1968|p=31}} For example, a [[Tutankhamun's iron dagger blade|dagger]] made of meteoric iron was found in the tomb of [[Tutankhamun]], containing similar proportions of iron, cobalt, and nickel to a meteorite discovered in the area, deposited by an ancient meteor shower.<ref name="Bjorkman 1973">{{cite journal|last=Bjorkman|first=Judith Kingston|title=Meteors and Meteorites in the ancient Near East |journal=Meteoritics |date=1973 |pages=91–132 |doi=10.1111/j.1945-5100.1973.tb00146.x |volume=8|issue=2|bibcode=1973Metic...8...91B}}</ref><ref name="Comelli">{{cite journal|doi=10.1111/maps.12664 |bibcode=2016M&PS...51.1301C|title=The meteoritic origin of Tutankhamun's iron dagger blade|journal=Meteoritics & Planetary Science|volume=51|issue=7|pages=1301–09|year=2016|last1=Comelli|first1=Daniela|last2=d'Orazio|first2=Massimo|last3=Folco|first3=Luigi|last4=El-Halwagy|first4=Mahmud|last5=Frizzi|first5=Tommaso|last6=Alberti|first6=Roberto|last7=Capogrosso|first7=Valentina|last8=Elnaggar|first8=Abdelrazek|last9=Hassan|first9=Hala|last10=Nevin|first10=Austin|last11=Porcelli|first11=Franco|last12=Rashed|first12=Mohamed G|last13=Valentini|first13=Gianluca|doi-access=free}}</ref><ref name="walshx">{{cite news | last=Walsh | first=Declan | title=King Tut's Dagger Made of 'Iron From the Sky,' Researchers Say | newspaper=[[The New York Times]] | quote=the blade's composition of iron, nickel and cobalt was an approximate match for a meteorite that landed in northern Egypt. The result "strongly suggests an extraterrestrial origin" | date=2 June 2016 | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/03/world/middleeast/king-tuts-dagger-made-of-iron-from-the-sky-researchers-say.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220103/https://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/03/world/middleeast/king-tuts-dagger-made-of-iron-from-the-sky-researchers-say.html |archive-date=2022-01-03 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live | access-date=4 June 2016}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Items that were likely made of iron by Egyptians date from 3000 to 2500 BC.{{sfn|Weeks|1968|p=29}}

Meteoritic iron is comparably soft and ductile and easily [[cold forging|cold forged]] but may get brittle when heated because of the [[nickel]] content.<ref>{{Cite book|url={{Google books|-CQ4AQAAIAAJ|page=PA492|keywords=|text=|plainurl=yes}}|title=Technisches wörterbuch oder Handbuch der Gewerbskunde ... : Bearb. nach Dr. Andrew Ure's Dictionary of arts, manufactures and mines|last=Ure|first=Andrew|date=1843|publisher=G. Haase|page=492|language=de}}</ref>