The experts employed by National Geographic in an article concerning the old Damascene swords concluded that the nano-structures probably gave the steel greater resiliancy.
King Arthur had a famous sword and Joanne d'Arc found some ancient swords hidden behind the fireplace of an old building ~ they were considered rather impressive.
The main Wiki piece on the Bowie Knife passes on the thought that some have had that it resembled a pukko (a Finnish knife) in certain characteristics but they point out that a pukko is much smaller than the Bowie.
You can look up Sa'ami knife and discover the stuorra niibi which is remarkably similar to the pukko but much more like a machete in size!
There are good reasons why Bowie would copy the stuorra niibi if he'd ever seen it in action ~ and it's likely he had plenty of opportunity since it was commonly seen in the numerous Sa'ami dominated settlements on the frontier.
“King Arthur had a famous sword and Joanne d’Arc found some ancient swords hidden behind the fireplace of an old building ~ they were considered rather impressive.”
Get out of town! Arthur had the sword of Jeanne d’Arc? S’pose this was the sword in the stone? It was legend.
There is a recent article about someone perhaps discovering the Round Table, in Scotland, I think. That might be a dig to see. I do love rocks. Well, most of them. The black rock excepted.
Someone could do a tidy business over in the ME making talismans and jewelry out of the retired black rocks. Or new ones among the sands. Picking one up is probably punishable by death.