Chemical analysis of 91 ancient iron weapons and jewelry turned up traces of nickel in about a dozen signet rings — a sign the iron probably came from meteorites, researchers report in the August 2026 Journal of Archaeological Science. Iron from meteorites was prized throughout the ancient world, especially in Egypt, where arid deserts preserve meteorites. Most contained no nickel, a sign the iron had been forged from ores with the rudimentary smelting technologies that preceded the Iron Age. All were rings or fragments of rings, many attached to a large flat piece of engraved metal that suggested they were signet rings. Meteorite iron rings from after the 12th century B.C.