Ancient technology cant be matched even today

[Big Bad Voodoo]

Ancient Technology for Metal Coatings 2,000 Years Ago Can't Be Matched Even Today

July 24, 2013 — Artists and craftsmen more than 2,000 years ago developed thin-film coating technology unrivaled even by today's standards for producing DVDs, solar cells, electronic devices and other products. Understanding these sophisticated metal-plating techniques from ancient times, described in the ACS journal Accounts of Chemical Research, could help preserve priceless artistic and other treasures from the past.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/07/130724124919.htm

[Rlyeh]

The title is misleading, the article is speaking of one narrow field. The opposite is also true, many things today the ancients would have never dreamed of.

[Big Bad Voodoo]

The opposite is also true, many things today the ancients would have never dreamed of.

Which mean that we cant dreamed of what ancients did too. So title isnt misleading.

[Rlyeh]

Which mean that we cant dreamed of what ancients did too. So title isnt misleading.

The article says otherwise..

The fact they are studying it says they can "dream" of what ever methods may have been used.

Edited July 26, 2013 by Rlyeh

[Ever Learning]

i think its cus we make things in mass production, one item never being special but the duplicate of the past. the brain can think for it self and the hands give something form. obviously we are technologically better

[Mario Dantas]

Hi,

Nice article! I was reading about Damascus steel the other day:

Damascus steel was a type of steel used in South Asian and Middle Eastern swordmaking. Damascus steel was created from wootz steel, a steel developed in India around 300 BC.^[1] These swords are characterized by distinctive patterns of banding and mottling reminiscent of flowing water. Such blades were reputed to be tough, resistant to shattering and capable of being honed to a sharp, resilient edge.^[2]

The original method of producing Damascus steel is not known. Because of differences in raw materials and manufacturing techniques, modern attempts to duplicate the metal have not been entirely successful. Despite this, several individuals in modern times have claimed that they have rediscovered the methods in which the original Damascus steel was produced.^[3][4]

The reputation and history of Damascus steel has given rise to many legends, such as the ability to cut through a rifle barrel or to cut a hair falling across the blade,^[5] but no evidence exists to support such claims. A research team in Germany published a report in 2006 revealing nanowires and carbon nanotubes in a blade forged from Damascus steel.^[6] This finding was covered by National Geographic^[7] and the New York Times.^[8] Although modern steel outperforms these swords, chemical reactions in the production process made the blades extraordinary for their time. Woody biomass and leaves are known to have been used to carbonize the Wootz ingots used in Damascus steel, and research now shows that carbon nanotubes can be derived from plant fibers,^[9] suggesting how the nanotubes were formed in the steel. Some experts expect to discover such nanotubes in more relics as they are analyzed more closely.^[1][7]

Loss of the technique

Production of these patterned swords gradually declined, ceasing by around 1750, and the process was lost to metalsmiths. Several modern theories have ventured to explain this decline, including the breakdown of trade routes to supply the needed metals, the lack of trace impurities in the metals, the possible loss of knowledge on the crafting techniques through secrecy and lack of transmission, or a combination of all the above.^[3][4][15]

The original Damascus steel or wootz was imported from India to the Middle East.^[3][4] Due to the distance of trade for this steel, a sufficiently lengthy disruption of the trade routes could have ended the production of Damascus steel and eventually led to the loss of the technique in India. As well, the need for key trace impurities of tungsten or vanadium within the materials needed for production of the steel may be absent if this material was acquired from different production regions or smelted from ores lacking these key trace elements.^[3] The technique for controlled thermal cycling after the initial forging at a specific temperature could also have been lost, thereby preventing the final damask pattern in the steel from occurring.^[3][4]

The discovery of carbon nanotubes in the Damascus steel's composition supports this hypothesis, since the precipitation of carbon nanotubes likely resulted from a specific process that may be difficult to replicate should the production technique or raw materials used be significantly altered.^[15]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damascus_steel

[Myles]

Can't be matched. Can be surpassed.

[ShadowSot]

Can't be matched. Can be surpassed.

Exactly.

[Big Bad Voodoo]

Can't be matched. Can be surpassed.

Finally one sceptic wrote something what others can hailed.

Edited July 26, 2013 by the L

[Big Bad Voodoo]

Hi,

Nice article! I was reading about Damascus steel the other day:

I dont know nothing about Damascus steel. I read once wiki page but didnt get it why is so special.

Im glad that you like article.

[ShadowSot]

Here's the original study the press release was written for:

http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/ar300232e

It's a bit less hyped than the publicity piece.

[Oniomancer]

More like "wouldn't be," because no one in their right mind would use mercury gilding today, or if they did, they wouldn't stay that way fpr long.

[ShadowSot]

More like "wouldn't be," because no one in their right mind would use mercury gilding today, or if they did, they wouldn't stay that way fpr long.

Bunch of mad hatters if they did.

[questionmark]

I doubt there is anything done in the past that cannot be replicated today. If it is not done it is because it serves no purpose or is economically not viable. Not because we do not have the technology.

[ninjadude]

They discovered that gold- and silversmiths 2,000 years ago developed a variety of techniques, including using mercury like a glue to apply thin films of metals to statues and other objects.

from the article. Well now of course not. We don't use mercury like that anymore because it's highly toxic - both to the artist and general public. Something they did not know.

[Myles]

from the article. Well now of course not. We don't use mercury like that anymore because it's highly toxic - both to the artist and general public. Something they did not know.

So what you are saying is that the ancients were ignorant of the hazards? I agree. Hardly more advanced than now with all things considered.

[Four Winds]

from the article. Well now of course not. We don't use mercury like that anymore because it's highly toxic - both to the artist and general public. Something they did not know.

You and Onionmancer beat me to it.

[bassai26]

the peoples ideas differ between ages..it is just that ancient people doesnt have the idea of creating weapons of mass destruction, automated gadgets etc...

[jaylemurph]

the peoples ideas differ between ages..it is just that ancient people doesnt have the idea of creating weapons of mass destruction, automated gadgets etc...

Oh, I think they had the idea of weapons of mass destruction. Read the Bhagavad Gita. They just (thankfully) did not have the skill set to realize those ideas effectively.

--Jaylemurph

EDIT: needed negation

Edited August 4, 2013 by jaylemurph

[Dragonwind]

The ancients didn't have OH&S either...

[Myles]

Apparently "the L" has abandoned this thread. Perhaps there was not an answer to the mercury issue.