Richard,
I don't now a direct translation of this source and others
covering metallurgy of this period, but it is discussed in James
Allen's Persian Metal Technology 700-1300 A.D. (1979) Ithaca Press
London. ISBN 9003729 47 4.
He gives as the reference al-Biruni, Muhammad ibn Ahmad, ed. F. Krenkow,
Hyderabad, 1936, together with a list of many other primary sources dealing
with metallurgy of this period.
Brian Gilmour's Institute of Archaeology (London) thesis had an Appendix
(2)discussing South Asian water crucible steel (wootz) p275-306. The is a
more up to date discussion of these texts in James Allan and Brian Gilmour,
Persian Steel: the Tanavoli Collection. Publisher unknown to me as yet as it
is published later today.
I believe the texts are also discussed in Yusuf Ragib & Philippe
Fluzin: 'La fabrication des lames damassees en
Orient', 'Journal of the social and economic history of the Orient',
40 (no. 1), pp. 30-72. But as my copy and translation have not reappeared
after my move of office I can not check the exact content at the moment.
On Mon, 11 Sep 2000 23:39:47 -0400 Richard Furrer <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> Hello,
> Has anyone come across an english translation of the arabic text by al-Biruni
> (b973-1048AD) "al-jamahir fi ma'rifat at jawahir"?
> It apparently has to deal with metallurgy of his time.
> I have have no luck what so ever, but the few extracts I have come across have been
> very insightful.
>
> Richard Furrer
>
Chris Salter
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