Damascus Steel Isn't What You Think! Asian Crucible Steel in Medieval Europe

The legendary Damascus Steel has achieved mythical status in bladesmithing. Swordsmiths, blacksmiths, reenactors, metallurgists, historians, and archaeologists the world over have spent decades trying to reconstruct the techniques required to make this super material that enthralled all those who encountered it.
But real Damascus, or Wootz steel was not just specially pattern welded, but also smelted in a specific way, and had specific materials and techniques applied to it, almost as soon as it was extracted from the earth. Many, including crucible steel making, were not available to medieval Europeans.
So, join me as we have a little chat on an old castle about cool steel that people in the Viking Age really liked a lot! We'll also discuss what Damascus Steel isn't, and why you might want to exercise caution before you buy a "Damascus Steel" sword for your medieval reenactment kit!

This is part of the "Because History Matters!" collaboration, organised by @BrandonF and including videos by lots of other channels, including @ChristheRedcoat @RoyalArmouries @papercartridges6705 and all the others you'll see on screen in the video! Check out the other videos and channels taking part, and discover why history matters so flippin' much!

Epic intro by @Anttimation
Intro/outro: “Sospan Fach” sung by Côr Meibion Caernarfon

Reading:
http://www.warehamforge.ca/ironsmelti...
https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper...
https://web.archive.org/web/201810030...
https://www.researchgate.net/figure/s...

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