[Gavin Nugent]

Originally Posted by Jens Nordlunde

It is interesting indeed, but there are many things not much known, which are interesting.

In the very early centuries, maybe even before BC, the Indians had big vessels, with which they sailed east and colonized part of Vietnam, and quite a number of other places, but they also sailed west, and had contact with Africa, where they got ivory and slaves. They also had contact with the Arabian Peninsula, Egypt and Italy. These big vessels seem to have stopped about the time the Europeans got to India.

It is however known, that the Indians also exported tons of wootz ingots, and one of the Greek philosophers, maybe Plinius, said, ‘there is no need, when cutting meat, to use a knife of Indian steel’.

When it comes to the compass the Indians are known to have had a hollow fish of magnetic steel swimming on oil, which they used for a compass.

I stumbled across this passage this evening;

In the 5th century BC, the Greek historian Herodotus observed that "Indian and the Persian army used arrows tipped with iron."[46] Ancient Romans used armour and cutlery made of Indian iron. Pliny the Elder also mentioned Indian iron.[47] Muhammad al-Idrisi wrote the Hindus excelled in the manufacture of iron, and that it would be impossible to find anything to surpass the edge from Hindwani steel.[48] Quintus Curtius wrote about an Indian present of steel to Alexander.[49] Ferrum indicum appeared in the list of articles subject to duty under Marcus Aurelius and Commodus.[50] Indian Wootz steel was held in high regard in Europe, and Indian iron was often considered to be the best.[51]