"Large pieces are not workable, and you need to separate small pieces (less than one kg), which is hardly possible with the tools of the Iron Age (see, e.g., the pieces of iron worked by the Inuits).".
Four items of jewellery, three bracelets and a pin, containing a form of iron only found in meteorites were pulled from Early Iron Age burials.
Based on the high nickel levels in the iron, researchers believe the artefacts are made from an ataxite meteorite.
Researchers found banding patterns on the metal, suggesting they could be the oldest examples of patterned iron in the world.
The findings also suggest the ancient inhabitants of Poland were aware of iron processing earlier than first thought.
