"Today, you can buy blades that replicate many of Damascus steel's properties and microstructures. However, the traditional system that once produced authentic Damascus steel was lost by the 18th century. The collapse of apprenticeship networks, the disappearance of specific ore sources, and the rise of cheaper industrial steel all contributed to its decline. For centuries, the precise methods behind its manufacture stumped researchers, and while modern science has clarified how it worked, the original cultural and material ecosystem that sustained it no longer exists."
"In 2003, UNESCO - a United Nations agency focused on promoting world peace through international education, science, culture, and communication - adopted the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, an international treaty designed to help preserve intangible cultural heritage. This convention established the List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding (USL) to highlight elements at high risk of dying out."
Damascus steel produced patterned blades renowned for exceptional sharpness, strength and durability, with historical accounts claiming they could slice through medieval swords. Modern blades can replicate many properties and microstructures, yet the traditional system that produced authentic Damascus steel was lost by the 18th century. The collapse of apprenticeship networks, loss of specific ore sources, and the rise of cheaper industrial steel caused its decline. The original cultural and material ecosystem that sustained the craft no longer exists. Societies have tangible and intangible cultural heritage. In 2003 UNESCO adopted a convention to safeguard intangible heritage and created the List in Need of Urgent Safeguarding to highlight elements at risk of disappearing.
Read at Big Think
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]