'These were harder than any other blades, cut sharper and cost more': How ancient Sri Lankans created steel of legends by harnessing monsoons
In this excerpt from "The Age of Alchemy," author Kit Chapman reveals how ancient Sri Lankans created steel of legends by harnessing monsoons.
Around 2,500 years ago, skilled artisans in present-day India and Sri Lanka were crafting a superior type of steel known as Wootz steel. Renowned for its exceptional strength and sharpness, this rare metal was exported worldwide, with Middle Eastern Damascus blades being forged from it. However, around A.D. 1100, production of this high-carbon steel abruptly ceased, and the knowledge of how to create Wootz steel was lost to history.
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