How do they tell if the blade is made of wootz?

Jens Nordlunde · 29th November 2005, 05:38 PM

In some of my books I have pictures of excavated swords, or mostly only part of the swords, bubbling with rust, but in the text it says ‘blade made of wootz’. I have often asked myself – how is it possible to tell, has the sword been chemical analysed or what?

I know the chemistry of the earth, where the sword is found, can make a very big difference, but if we talk about swords, maybe a thousand years old, any sword would have suffered badly, no mater what kind of chemistry the earth has. Maybe the difference is, that there still is part of the sword left, and in other cases you can trace the sword from the rust marking in the earth. Does anyone know the answer?

29th November 2005, 05:38 PM	#1
Jens Nordlunde Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Europe Posts: 2,718	How do they tell if the blade is made of wootz? In some of my books I have pictures of excavated swords, or mostly only part of the swords, bubbling with rust, but in the text it says ‘blade made of wootz’. I have often asked myself – how is it possible to tell, has the sword been chemical analysed or what? I know the chemistry of the earth, where the sword is found, can make a very big difference, but if we talk about swords, maybe a thousand years old, any sword would have suffered badly, no mater what kind of chemistry the earth has. Maybe the difference is, that there still is part of the sword left, and in other cases you can trace the sword from the rust marking in the earth. Does anyone know the answer?