17th century Damascus sabres contained carbon nanotubes

Interesting but not added to the article is that the rise and fall of the users of those swords, correlates in some ways with the rise and fall of the supply of the material used to make the swords. That is, when the supply dried up, they lost their power because the swords represented a technological advantage.

And so does a burning candle. Carbon nanotubes(CNTs) can be formed from just about any reaction involving an excess of carbon. It is the amount and purity involved that is interesting. If you look hard enough you'll find them everywhere.<p>I would like to know what volume fraction of CNTs and cementite (Fe3C) nanowires were present. If it was a significant fraction they could have contributed to the swords properties by the rule of mixtures.

Yet another Indian invention, ascribed to the middle east through medieval ignorance. The wootz steel is the key.<p>See: <a href="http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/647868/wootz-steel" rel="nofollow">http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/647868/wootz-steel</a>

<i>Damascus steel blades were forged out of small pure cakes of steel containing around 1.6-1.7 per cent carbon, called wootz. Produced in India, wootz cakes were shipped to Damascus where expert sword smiths fashioned them into blades.</i>

Fantastic essay by Manuel Delanda on the importance of materiality:<p><a href="http://www.t0.or.at/delanda/matterdl.htm" rel="nofollow">http://www.t0.or.at/delanda/matterdl.htm</a>