Lesson 01
Bronze and Iron
The earliest swords were short bronze blades, limited by the metal’s softness. Ironworking allowed longer, more durable blades and mass equipping of armies.
Lesson 02
Steel and the Blade
Pattern-welding and later crucible steel (as in the famed wootz blades) produced swords that held an edge and resisted shattering — the katana and the Damascus blade are high expressions of this craft.