Hi Alan, 

Well, you know I just had to look it up.  The brief history is that the 
origin of steel is murky, largely because the definition of steel is 
somewhat vague.  However, it's quite clear, as you say, that the Iron Age 
began around 1200 BC.  The earliest production of the carbon/iron alloys 
we'd call steel probably began in India about 500 BC, and was certainly 
known ("Damascus steel") to the peoples of the middle east and the eastern 
mediterranean by the time of Alexander (330 BC).  Roman steel implements 
show up in the second century AD, about 500 years later.  See: 
http://www.mri.on.ca/steel.html.  In this, the author says: 

"Two steel making processes were known and practiced in antiquity; the 
cementation process and the crucible process. The cementation process 
involved heating wrought iron in contact with a carbon source (usually 
charcoal) in such a way as to exclude exposure to air. In the crucible 
process wrought iron bars were melted in crucibles in which charcoal had 
been placed. 

"Steel tools made by the cementation process of Roman origin were found in 
Britain dating to the second century AD[17]. Carbon content varied 
irregularly throughout from 0% to 1.3%. It was this irregular distribution 
of carbon that made the cementation process, or "home-made" Roman steel less 
desirable. 

"It is suggested by Parr[18] that real production of steel began as early as 
500 BC in India. This material was referred to as wootz. By Alexander's time 
the production of wootz was a well established two step process using the 
crucible method. Two methods could be used, conversion from a cast iron form 
or conversion from a wrought iron form. " 

He also confirms (earlier in the piece) that Homer contains repeated 
references to iron (as opposed to steel) artifacts.  He mentions martsenite 
as a form of high-carbon steel but not when it was first made.... 

Cheers,
Rick.
 --
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