Steel Tools Were Being Made in Europe As Far Back As 2,900 Years Ago!

Did you know that some of the earliest known steel occurrences have been recorded in India? In fact, some accounts even show that this 'Wootz steel', alternatively known as 'Urukku' and 'Damascus' steel, was revered by some as some of the best steel in the world back then.

It truly cannot be understated how crucial steel was in getting humans the technology that we love so much. Iron was okay, but steel really got the industrial revolution on its feet, despite just being the same thing with slightly more carbon. But despite its popularity, it's hard to trace its proliferation in different parts of the world conclusively. However, we might just have added another piece to the puzzle.

Recent studies analysing an ancient stone stela — a sort of pillar or slab used commonly as a marker — from the Iberian peninsula (modern-day Spain and Portugal) have suggested that something only as hard as steel might've been able to carve the remarkable engravings inscribed on them. The exciting part? This stela is extremely old, dating all the way back to the ancient final bronze age about 2,900 years ago.

Until recently, it was assumed that the Roman Empire popularised steel in Europe during its reign about 2,000 years ago. Until their arrival, the colonies were believed to have lacked the technology to produce suitable quality steel in the early iron age. However, this discovery flings a spanner into that theory.

Additionally, when scientists analysed an iron chisel from the same area and time, they found that it had enough carbon to be classified as proper steel. Furthermore, upon attempting to replicate the stelae carving process, they discovered that only chisels made of tempered steel such as this one could satisfactorily engrave the stone since it was made of hard siliceous quartz sandstone.

"Just like quartzite, this is an extremely hard rock that cannot be worked with bronze or stone tools, but only with tempered steel," explains Dr Ralph Araque Gonzalez, the study's lead researcher.

And, of course, the researchers also went the extra mile to confirm these findings. They hired professional stonemasons, a blacksmith and a bronze caster to attempt to work the rock, and ended up with zilch. Only steel could do the job.

"The chisel from Rocha do Vigio and the context where it was found show that iron metallurgy, including the production and tempering of steel, were probably indigenous developments of decentralised small communities in Iberia, and not due to the influence of later colonisation processes," Gonzalez notes.

This suggests that while Romanians might've taken all the credit, the technology might not have been particularly new to the area. Someone clearly got scammed out of a patent!

"The people of the Final Bronze Age in Iberia were capable of tempering steel. Otherwise, they would not have been able to work the pillars," he continues. "This also has consequences for the archaeological assessment of iron metallurgy and quartzite sculptures in other regions of the world."

The findings of this study have been published in Journal of Archaeological Science and can be accessed here.

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