There was an interesting, related discussion on HN awhile back that touched on material science, iron and steel quality: "Why no Roman industrial revolution?"

There was an interesting, related discussion on HN awhile back that touched on material science, iron and steel quality: "Why no Roman industrial revolution?" https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32607187 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32607187