Damascus Steel

[Medicus matt]

It's been said that an analysis of Viking pattern welded swords has shown the steel to have arrived from Afganistan. We see blades of pattern steel in the Ospray books, in reference to Germanic craftsmen, but has an early Germanic pattern welded sword been found?

There is no indication that Roman army swords carried sophisticated steel. They were more like "brown shoes." ;-)

Studies carried out on the Nydam blades has shown that some were made by piling and some by pattern welding (both single and double chevron patterns)
Whether these are of Northern Germanic/Scandinavian origin or latin origin has yet to be established.
Similar studies have been carried out in blades from Illerup (which are generally thought to be of Roman manufacture); piling and complex pattern welding can also be seen in these blades as can welded cutting edges.

Anyone interested in the subject should read Alan Williams' "The Sword and the Crucible: A History of the Metallurgy of European Swords"


What might be clouding the issue addressed by the original question is that the meaning of the term 'damascus steel' has changed.
Originally it referred to a specific type of steel from medieval Asia which, as I understand it was made by a technique that has yet to be fully replicated.
Today it's used to refer to any steel which mimics the appearence of the original 'Damascus' steel, however it is produced.