UCLA Meteorite Gallery Lecture Series: March 2021
Title: Charmed, I'm sure: Meteorites as Objects of Cultural Importance
Lecturer: Dr. Rhiannon Mayne; Texas Christian University
Meteorites are objects usually prized primarily for their scientific value; for example, they help answer questions about the formation of our Solar System. However, there is also a long history of meteorites also being objects of significant cultural importance. Qarabawi’s Camel Charm is a sample acquired by the National Meteorite Collection at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History in 1974. The Charm consists of a flattened disk about 6.5 cm in diameter and four links, all of which are made from meteoritic material. In this presentation, I will discuss the combined scientific and ethnographic study of the Camel Charm, and the Wadi El Gamal meteorite from which it was made.