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Wootz Steel

Type Object Region South Asia Time c. -300–1801

Wootz (crucible) steel, a high-carbon crucible-smelted product developed in ancient South India, famed for its distinctive wavy pattern and superb ed…

Timeline

  1. c. -300–500South India · IndiaSouth Indian craftsmen sealed iron ore and charcoal in crucibles to smelt high-carbon steel ingots (wootz), one source of the material later known in Persia and the Arab world as "Damascus steel."
  2. 601–1201Coastal trading ports of South India · Malabar CoastAround the 11th century, wootz steel was exported by Arab and Persian merchants as far as West Asia and the Mediterranean, becoming steel for high-end weapons and tools; South Indian workshops and ports formed a stable export chain.
  3. 1701–1801India and Europe · IndiaDuring the colonial period, European scientists traveled to India to study crucible steelmaking in attempts to replicate wootz's wavy pattern; after the Industrial Revolution, large-scale steelmaking replaced handcrafted wootz, and the traditional industry gradually died out.

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