[OT]Big endian eggs

Alan Kay Alan.Kay at squeakland.org
Mon Aug 25 18:45:51 UTC 2003


Yes, my recollection is that the idea of laminating steel in many 
layers to make resiliant swords quite antedates Europe, and was first 
developed in Asia and in the Middle East. Just as the recurve bow 
already existed in China during Roman times (IIRC) and this 
technology was used by the Scythians to decisively defeat the Romans 
several times and effectively discourage them from occupying their 
territory.

Cheers,

Alan

------

At 10:36 AM -0700 8/25/03, Yoshiki Ohshima wrote:
>   Piers,
>
>   Now, it is really off-topic...
>
>>  Not that the Dark Ages were actually backwards, just that stuff
>>  didn't tend to get written down. Take a look at the technology
>>  involved in making, say, a Saxon sword (which used essentially the
>>  same techniques as were developed centuries later in Japan to make
>>  Samurai swords) or the quality of work in things like the Ardagh
>>  Chalice.
>
>   What century you are talking about?  (And what is
>"Samurai swords", I should ask.)
>
>-- Yoshiki


-- 



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