Aluminium wedge of Aiud

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The Aluminum Wedge of Aiud, also known as the Object of Aiud, is a wedge-shaped object found 2 kilometers East of Aiud, Romania on the banks of the Mures river in 1974. According to an article written by Boczor Iosif, a contributor to Hungarian paranormal magazines, it was found under 35 feet of sand and along side 2 mastodon bones. His article also claims it was found in 1973.

Due to the limited information that exists, the antiquity and origin of the artifact is unclear. The findings were taken to the Archeological Institute of Cluj-Napoca to be examined. The institute found the wedge to be made of an alloy of extremely complex metal: aluminum. The wedge was also encased in a layer of oxide no less than a millimeter thick. This layer is said to make the object at least 300 to 400 years old. It is not mentioned what dating technique was used.

For three reasons some claim the wedge is proof that aliens came to visit Earth in the past. An unnamed aeronautical engineer said it resembled the foot of landing gear not unlike the current space vehicles at the time, only smaller. This was corroborated by Florin Gheorghita, a known ufologist in Romania. The fact that it was found in the same layer as mastodon bones, and assuming it was found in original context, would make it at least 11,000 years old. The third reason people believed that this was from an alien ship was because aluminum was not even discovered until 1808 and could not be produced in mass until 1885. Therefore, because it looks like landing gear, it was found with mastodon bones and the oxide dated to at least 300 years old (before aluminum on earth), it was from an alien spaceship.

Most scientists deem the wedge a fake because there is another explanation that follows the rules of Occam's razor: The wedge was made here on earth and its purpose is not yet known. Not much information is to be found on this subject. The lack of data can possibly be explained by the imposed restrictions on archaeology and history by the communist rule of the time. This is most likely what has lead to the many discrepancies in the information. According to the article mentioned above, by Boczor Iosif, it was examined a second time in Lausanne, Switzerland and the same results were found. It was not mentioned which lab was responsible for this second analysis. Others claim that it is 20,000 years old because of the mastodon bones. It is not clear why the figure 20,000 is chosen since they did not become extinct until 11,000 years ago. Unless, of course, they used a formal dating technique and the technique is just not mentioned in the articles. Additionally aluminum requires 1,000 degrees of heat to be produced. The aluminum wedge of Aiud remains a mystery.