Twisted rods

[A. G. Maisey]

Yes Gustav, that would be about right --- I'm quite a bit more than 80 years of age, additionally, I'm not really all that interested in the dated history of creating patterns in ferric material, but rather in the progression of the art. Insofar as pattern welding is concerned, my interest is in how it is done, rather than who did what and when it was done. The history is interesting, certainly, but it is immaterial in the understanding of the process.

It does appear that more recent research has indicated that the Romans were much more advanced than had been previously thought, & that does change dates, but it is not important in the progression of the art:- it is still a progression of a necessary process into a controlled art, & what I have been trying to do is to clarify the actual process of creating a controlled pattern in ferric material, I have not been trying to chart the dated history of that development. Which people managed to achieve that first is immaterial in an understanding of the process.

But what might be able to be regarded as material is that whatever the Merovingians did do --- & some of what they did was excellent --- was in fact, simply a continuation & development of what the Romans had done. The Merovingians were the successors of the Romans in Western Europe.