British scientists have uncovered one of the two daggers found entombed alongside the Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun was made of iron from a meteorite.

The decorated gold handled weapon was discovered in 1925 by archaeologist Howard Carter among the burial possessions of the teen-aged king. The iron of the iron blade has long baffled researchers as such metalwork was quite rare in early Egypt. It is now on display at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.

Tutankhamun Remains Legendary in Egypt

Meanwhile, Tutankhamun was mummified more than 3,300 years ago. According to a study published in the journal of Meteoritic and Planetary Science, to confirm the composition of the blade researchers used what's described as "a non-invasive X-ray technique."

Added Daniela Comelli, author of the study, "Meteoritic iron is clearly indicated by the presence of a high percentage of nickel."

Researchers also compared the composition of the dagger to known meteorites within 2,000km around the Red sea coast of Egypt and found one of them contained similar degrees of nickel and cobalt.

Meteoritic Iron Always Valued in Egypt

Throughout history, ancient Egyptians have attached great importance to meteoritic iron for the production of fine ornamental or ceremonial objects.

"They were aware that these rare chunks or iron fell from the sky already in the 13th Century BCE, anticipating Western culture by more than two millennia," researchers noted.

Tutankhamun was the 11th pharaoh of Ancient Egypt. He was 17 at the time of his death and likely inherited the throne as early as his eighth birthday. His cause of death remains uncertain, with speculation centering on him being assassinated or either killed in some sort of hunting accident.

As pharaoh, among his chief achievements was repairing the damage inflicted upon the temples of Amun during his father's Akhenaten reign.

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