Conspiracy theorists, historians, and archaeologists alike are astounded by the findings that a dagger that had been buried with King Tutankhamen has the makeup of being iron from a meteorite.

King Tut was the young King of Egypt’s 18th dynasty, and it is believed he was only 19 years old when he died. His tomb was discovered in 1922 with a solid gold coffin. This particular dagger was buried with the mummified king. It was apart of a pair of daggers found in burial wrappings with King Tut. Because of the rarity and price of iron (it was worth more than gold) metalwork in Egypt, this dagger has been baffling archeologists for a long time.

Researchers from Egypt and Italy used X-ray fluorescence spectrometry on the dagger. What was found was iron, nickel, and cobalt which matched other meteorites in their database. The makeup of this dagger nearly matches the composition of a meteor found 150 miles west of Alexandria.

The dagger is an intricate piece of work. The handle is made of gold, beautifully decorated with ornate designs. At the end of the handle is a crystal knob. The sheath that comes with this dagger is also gold and has patterns of feathers and lilies, as well as the head of a jackal.

King Tut’s dagger is not the first time that meteorite iron has been found in ancient Egyptian artifacts. In 2009 nine small beads from around 3200 B.C. were found to be of meteorite origin as well.

This discovery is not only slightly baffling, but it’s truly amazing. The extraterrestrial dagger has got conspiracy theorists across the world chatting about life outside of Earth. There are many who believe that ancient Egypt had a direct tie to otherworldly beings, and the discovery of the contents of this dagger is only propelling the notion for them forward. Could it possible that the Egyptians were not alone and did have assistance from outside of Earth?

The tomb of King Tut has often been the center of controversy and awe. Most recently, a theory has been floating around that Queen Nefertiti’s undiscovered tomb actually lies behind the wall of King Tut’s tomb. The theory for this is that Queen Nefertiti preceded King Tut’s reign, and because of his sudden death he was buried outside of her tomb. Scans and work is still being done to confirm or deny this theory.

King Tutankhamun’s burial was also peculiar. As King, he was working to restore the belief of multiple gods in Egypt. His mummified body was covered in black liquid to resemble Osiris, Egyptian god of the underworld. King Tut’s heart was also missing, another aim toward equating King Tut to being similar to the god Osiris.

There are still many missing links and theories revolving around the young King Tutankhamun, but one thing is certain: there is still much research to be done, and the discoveries thus far have been marvelous.