Nobody, but I wonder if some of those brls didn't make their way east to Russia. There may eventually have been a 'damascus road' from Russia to Prussia to England?
BTW: For some interesting history of steel development world wide see
http://met.iisc.ernet.in/~rangu/text.pdfThey report that Russian blacksmiths were making Wootz/Bulat in the 1500s. Maj. Gen. Pavel Anossoff (or Anasoff?) reproduced Bulat again in 1841.
The relationship and knowledge goes back very far. The Viking's had established trade with Byzantium centuries earlier. They were importing wootz for their swords as early as 900 AD. During this time they also controled the Rus. Who later became the Russians. Much of this is documented in:
Blöndal, Sigfús. The Varangians of Byzantium. London: Cambridge. 1978
Ellis-Davidson, Hilda Roderick. The Viking Road to Byzantium. London: George Allen & Unwin. 1976
Look for the armor and sword making centers. Every time you find one, there is evidence of wootz. Many of these centers grow and evolve into making firearms. The perret was a blade making tool that was adopted to make damascus barrels. Daryl and I had chatted about the Viking connection some months back in email. I guess I never posted any of that information here. I will have to dig it up again...
Pete
