Metallurgy, Materials & Chemistry
Wootz (crucible) steel
c. 300 BCE onwardSouth Indian metalworkersArchaeometallurgical recordPan-Indian / unspecified
300 BCE
High-carbon crucible steel with a distinctive banded microstructure, exported widely.
- Dated
- 300 BCE
- As scholars put it
- c. 300 BCE onward
- Originator
- South Indian metalworkers
- Source text
- Archaeometallurgical record
- Region
- Pan-Indian / unspecified
- Discipline
- Metallurgy, Materials & Chemistry
- Evidence
- Documented
- Confidence
- High
- Verification
- Reference-cited
Meanwhile in the West
Became the raw material of the famed 'Damascus' blades; European crucible steel (Huntsman) came in the 18th c.
Fair to say
'Damascus steel' refers to the forged blades; the source steel was substantially Indian/Sri Lankan wootz.
Path to modern innovation
A landmark in materials science; studied for its carbide nanostructures.
Builds on
1,800 BCETransmission
Exported via the Middle East; forged into Damascus steel by Near Eastern smiths.
References
- 1S. Srinivasan & S. Ranganathan, India's Legacy of Wootz Steel
Further reading
Corrections and additional sources: edit IND-040 on GitHub.