wootz
Noun
Meaning
A species of steel imported from the East Indies, valued for making edge tools; Indian steel. It has in combination a minute portion of alumina and silica.
Source: Webster's dictionarySynonyms
Examples
A significant amount of written records on slavery are found, suggesting a prevalence thereof.sfn During this period, a high quality steel called Wootz steel was developed in south India and was later exported to China and Arabia.
During the smelting process to obtain Wootz steel ingots, woody biomass and leaves are known to have been used as carburizing additives along with certain specific types of iron rich in microalloying elements.
Blacksmiths in Luristan in western Iran were making good steel by 1000 BCE.sfn Then improved versions, Wootz steel by India and Damascus steel were developed around 300 BCE and 500 CE respectively.
Verhoeven and Pendray had already determined that the grains on the surface of the steel were grains of iron carbide—their goal was to reproduce the iron carbide patterns they saw in the Damascus blades from the grains in the wootz.
Indian Wootz steel was held in high regard in Roman Empire, was often considered to be the best.
Researches Into the History and Civilization of the Kirātas by G. P. Singh p.33 A Social History of Early India by Brajadulal Chattopadhyaya p.259 Wootz steel originated in south India in the 3rd century BC and was exported to foreign countries.