Danebury Meteorite

It is uncertain whether its descent to Earth was seen by any type of primitive witnesses, no matter, it landed in a disused grain pit at the hillfort– a privileged fall that would prove important to its conservation. For over 2 millennia, the meteorite remained hidden uninterrupted beneath layers of chalky soil that protected it from the harsh forces of nature and less positive dirt. Had it landed in other places, the meteorite likely would have caught the elements, removing any trace of this holy relic.

The meteorite was found by archaeologists in 1974 as part of these excavations, it was at first misidentified as slag, a by-product of metalworking. It had not been till 1989 that the metal make-up of the Danebury Meteorite was assessed and its real nature was revealed, making this ancient arrival Britain’s earliest dated meteorite ever discovered.

The Danebury Meteorite is acknowledged as the earliest firmly outdated meteorite ever uncovered in Britain. The old extraterrestrial, now on screen at Andover’s Gallery of the Iron Age, arrived on Earth between 2470 and 2230 years back when it landed at Danebury Hillfort throughout the Iron Age.