[TheForge] Wootz lost?

[Andrew Vida]

On 6/15/2012 12:29 AM, doveknives at aol.com wrote:

 > I do believe as
> previously stated, that there is a tendency to think of the ancients
> as being uninformed or technologically backward, but there is ample
> evidence that many cultures were far ahead of where we thought they
> were and some believe ahead of where we are in several areas.

Or that they possessed knowledge far beyond anything we now hold.

I find both extremes unlikely, to be frank.  The more ancient people 
were plenty smart, so discounting their intelligence and experience is 
foolishness IMO.  Equally foolish is the over inflation of same, a key 
example being that of the katana.  I have heard more nonsense uttered 
about katana than even I thought possible.  Some katana were/are great 
and some are not so hot from the standpoint of pure function.  To say 
the ancient Japanese smiths were mystical-magical and that their swords 
were far superior to anything modern engineering can produce is utter 
baloney.

Keeping a properly balanced perspective about such things appears to 
pose inordinate difficulties for many people.