Meteorite again

[Seerp Visser]

Jean/Alan

Two major pieces of the Prambanan meteorite were transported into the kraton of Solo. One piece in 1784 and one in 1797
(Meteoorijzer te Soerakarta, Natuurkundig tijdschrift voor Nederlandsch Indie, Vol 29, 1867, page 267).
A bigger piece and a smaller. The biggest piece was estimated to have a volume of about one cubic meter. One cubic meter will have had a weight of about 7,900 kgs.

In 1867, the smaller piece was consumed.
In 1904 (107 years later) An Austrian ethnologist visits the meteorite in the kraton of Solo and gives the dimensions from what is left of the bigger piece. From these measurements a weight can be calculated of about 1,300 kgs.
So 6,600 kgs of the bigger piece of meteorite were consumed.

Photographs of the meteorite (Indische courant 1939, Frey 1989) show not too much movement of the big piece since 1904.

So when we accept what Dr. Groneman writes, that for a Keris about 200 grams of meteoritic iron was used (Nikkelijzer, 1904), then we can make an estimate how many Keris, lances and some other objects (as table knives) were made with meteoritic iron as pamor material.

When the meteorite was used for keris only, than, from the bigger piece, about 33,000 Keris were made with meteoritic iron.

We dream further.
Suppose the smaller piece consumed in 1867 was, originally, one third, in weight, from the bigger piece (so 2,600 kgs). In that case another 13,000 keris were made.

Also literature mentions that many, many smaller pieces of the meteorite were found.
In 1904 that material was all, or nearly all, consumed according to Dr. Groneman.

Suppose all smaller meteoritic material together was the quantity of the smaller piece earlier consumed in Solo.
Than another 13,000 keris were made with meteoritic iron.

Above numbers total 59,000 keris made with the use of meteoritic iron as pamor material in middle Java.
And that in the period between around 1750 and 1904 or about 150 years.

Are that many Keris? Are that not many Keris? For middle Java only? I don't know.
Suppose Empu's used less meteorite for a Keris or more that should influence the results of course.