12-30-2014, 02:38 PM
Jürgen,
I wasn't referring at all about hardening steel, or more specifically iron, since steel making reliably was spotty at best. What I was referring to is the flexibility of swords, which is not just a matter of carbon content, but from my understanding, a matter of heat treatment (quenching and tempering). I understand and agree with you that most swords of the time period wouldn't have had this treatment. But as someone knowledgeable about sword making you can't argue that what Philon was describing wasn''t a sword that had obviously been tempered, regardless of its steel content. With that description, you can't come to any other conclusion. So whatever you previously thought of, know now that while it may not have been prevalent, tempering in some way, shape or form, existed in the 2nd Cent. BC time period, at least by the Celts.
"Evolution" of sword making is a historical feature that hasn't always proven to be correct. Haven't we recently found out that pattern welding had been created far earlier in the past then previously assumed?
Where are you getting info that Roman swords weren't flexible? Is this a guess or based off of archaeological remains?
I wasn't referring at all about hardening steel, or more specifically iron, since steel making reliably was spotty at best. What I was referring to is the flexibility of swords, which is not just a matter of carbon content, but from my understanding, a matter of heat treatment (quenching and tempering). I understand and agree with you that most swords of the time period wouldn't have had this treatment. But as someone knowledgeable about sword making you can't argue that what Philon was describing wasn''t a sword that had obviously been tempered, regardless of its steel content. With that description, you can't come to any other conclusion. So whatever you previously thought of, know now that while it may not have been prevalent, tempering in some way, shape or form, existed in the 2nd Cent. BC time period, at least by the Celts.
"Evolution" of sword making is a historical feature that hasn't always proven to be correct. Haven't we recently found out that pattern welding had been created far earlier in the past then previously assumed?
Where are you getting info that Roman swords weren't flexible? Is this a guess or based off of archaeological remains?
