Damascus Steel

[PBishop]

I'd like to see some discussion on this Wikipedia article about Damascus steel. Is the pattern welding that we call Damascus "wootz" steel different from or the same as the Damascus steel that received the reputation for slicing through stones and etc.?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damascus_steel

and here

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wootz

If pattern welding doesn't produce steel with the same characteristics as possessed by Medieval Arab weapons, how can we tell the difference in a particular piece, and assuming we know the difference how would it affect the piece's value?