Wolfsegg Iron
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The Wolfsegg Iron, sometimes referred to as The Salzburg Cube, is a small lump of iron allegedly found within a block of coal at a mine in the village of Wolfsegg in Austria. This object is interesting because its origin is a mystery. It has sometimes been used as evidence that there existed, in remote prehistoric times, civilisations on earth which far surpassed modern humankind in technological development. The artefact is discussed extensively in chapter nine of the The Book of the Damned by Charles Fort and has been referred to as an OOPArt, or out-of-place artefact.
A report which appeared in the scientific journal Nature (volume 35, 11.Nov.1886, page 36) describes the object as being "almost a cube" with a "deep incision" running all round it. The iron is 67 mm high, 67 mm broad, and 47 mm at the thickest part. It weighs 785g, and its specific gravity is 7.75.
There is the possibility that the object is a iron meteorite, given its composition and characteristically pitted surface. It is not currently clear how a meteorite would obtain this peculiar shape.
The Wolfsegg Iron underwent examination in 1966 at the Natural History Museum in Vienna. The final opinion of Dr. Kurat of the Museum and Dr. R. Grill of the Geologische Bundesanstalt in Vienna is that the object is simply manmade cast-iron. Dr. Grill believed that such iron objects were used as ballast with primitive mining machinery. However, there appears no evidence that such iron blocks were manufactured for mining, and only one was ever found, which would suggest against this idea.
The Wolfsegg Iron is currently kept at the Heimathaus Museum in Vöcklabruck, Austria.
