Scientists published a stunning discovery in February that may rewrite everything we thought we knew about steel use by past civilizations.
Until early February, the earliest known iron production was thought to have started around 2000 BC, according to Britannica. Steel, which is crafted from wrought iron, wasn’t even really discovered in any meaningful production manner until 1751 — or so we thought.
A study published in the Journal of Archaeological Science outlines evidence that Europeans already used steel some 2,900 years ago, around 900 BC. Researchers used a geochemical analysis to prove stone stelae on the Iberian peninsula in what is modern day Rocha do Vigio, Portugal, featured such intricate engravings that could only have been created with tempered steel.
History is having to be rewritten once again https://t.co/ErKVDMeXxV
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) February 6, 2023
A series of tests confirmed this hypothesis, suggesting we need to totally rethink the technological capital of previous civilizations. (RELATED: Ancient Mayan Cities And ‘Super Highways’ Revealed In Shocking Study)
“The chisel from Rocha do Vigio and the context where it was found show that iron metallurgy including the production and tempering of steel were probably indigenous developments of decentralized small communities in Iberia, and not due to the influence of later colonization processes,” leading study author Dr. Ralph Araque Gonzalez told Newswise. “This also has consequences for the archaeological assessment of iron metallurgy and quartzite sculptures in other regions of the world.”
The discovery is the latest of many that suggest we need to stop thinking of previous human civilizations as simple people who did not advance to more complex means of technological development. As a majority of what we’ve created as a species disappears in less than a hundred years, so it’s fair to assume we’ve lost far more knowledge than we hold presently.
