Nazis Brought a Buddha Statue Made Out of Meteorite Material to Germany

A unique state representing the Buddha, or a monk, was brought to the Third Reich by the Nazi Party during World War II. The reason this artifact is so special is that it's made out of material taken from a meteorite that fell on the borders between Siberia and Mongolia.

The space rock itself most likely impacted our planet around 10,000 years ago, but it wasn't until the 8th through the 10th century (researchers are not really sure) that the statue itself was built. The reason it was brought to Germany is that it has a swastika, a symbol for hope, carved onto its chest.

Scientists who received permission from the statue's private owner to examine it say that it's made out of a rare material, which can only come from ataxite meteorites. These objects are mostly made of iron, but they do feature important amounts of nickel mixed in, Space reports.

The statue itself tips the scales at around 10.6 kilograms (about 23 pounds), and is 24 centimeters (9.5 inches) tall. “The Iron Man statue is the only known illustration of a human figure to be carved into a meteorite,” says Stuttgart University expert Elmar Bucher, first scientist to have studied the statue.