"Wootz"

[KnifeGrinders]

Mr. KG, interesting post.  Thanks.  Any idea as to the hardness of any of those "Wootz" blades?  Performance wise, how do you think they would compare to modern steel blades?  Do you think they are just very good "for their time" or do you think would actually hold their own in comparison to modern "super steel" blades.

Performance-wise they can be likened to Japanese Katanas. 

But for their time the wootz was history-making.
Do you know that the wootz sword stopped Alexander the Great (Macedonian) invasion in India?
The Roman swords were heavy and of low hardness - the cohort had a routine of those battling at the front retrieving at regular intervals to straighten their bent swords before they could continue fighting. The sword would not chop through even a leather armor.

Wootz was lightweight, springy and of excellent edge retention - the Indian warrior could deliver 2 strikes at a Roman while the Roman was in his 1st strike, and the wootz sword cut through the metal armor.
In the age of cold weapons being armed with the wootz meant the win.