One of Tutankhamun’s favorite possessions was an iron dagger

Two daggers were meticulously packed and found by Howard Carter inside Tutankhamun's mummy bandages. The iron blade of one dagger was superior to the gold blade of the other. Each dagger was sheathed in gold. Because iron, or "iron from the sky," as it was known during Tutankhamun's reign (he ruled from c. 1336-27 BC), was a rare and costly metal, it was by far the more valuable of the two weapons. Egypt's "iron from the sky" was, as its name implies, largely derived from meteorites.

16 miniature swords, a tiny headrest, and an amulet are among the other iron items that were discovered in Tutankhamun's tomb. These sculptures' poor craftsmanship and modest size indicate that they were likely created by local artisans who struggled to work the uncommon meteorite iron.

But the dagger blade is quite different. It is exquisitely constructed and was probably brought to Egypt from a place where ironworking was common. Given the scarcity of good-quality iron artifacts at this time, it is possible that Amenhotep's dagger was inherited by his grandson, Tutankhamun, and ultimately buried with him, as the royal diplomatic archives inform us that several years before Tutankhamun's birth, king Tushratta of Mitanni sent a metal dagger to Egypt as a gift to his new son-in-law, Amenhotep III. It's possible that Tushratta's dagger was utilized throughout Tutankhamun's mummification process given its prominent position within the mummy wraps.