Before the Iron Age, meteoric iron was the only metallic iron that folks had access to. And for obvious reasons (rarity, perceived divine origin, etc.) it was a highly valued substance. It is known to have been used in Turkey, Greece, the Middle East, Russia, and China, but it’s super rare in Western Europe, with only two known sites (both in Poland). A new study, however, showed that iron meteorites were used and exchanged in Central Europe 2,800+ years ago. This is based on the analysis of a Bronze Age arrowhead that was discovered previously in Mörigen, Switzerland — turns out it’s meteoric! Tar was found on it, indicating that it was attached to a shaft, but I think it’s safe to say that if this was ever shot (big “if”), it would have been for a very specific, important, and possibly spiritual purpose. The researchers were able to pinpoint that the iron either came from Czechia, Spain, or Estonia, and their money’s on the latter. If they’re right, the meteor probably impacted Estonia around 1500 BCE. Meteoric iron would have been very challenging for Bronze Age artisans to work, and it would have also required fairly extensive trade networks.