In my opinion this is not a period blade. It is damascus steel. But it has only been layered. Normally at this point a die was used to impress a pattern. This would deform the layers. The blank is then ground flat to cut trough the layers and create the regular patterns we normally see. If damascus without the impressed pattern was used, it consisted of many more layers, and was ususlly used on blades that dont have a flat.( cutting through the layers at an angle shows the pattern here, a flat would mainly show a single layer of steel as in the example in question). A light acid etching cuts into the softer layer to reveal the pattern. This blade has been way over etched. A blade like this would never have come out of any of the manufacturers shops.
Wolfgang
