Editing Noricum (section)

===Steel for Roman weaponry===
[[File:Noricum Kugelreiter type 88000571.jpg|thumb|Coin of Noricum, mid-2nd century BC]]

The kingdom of Noricum was a major provider of weaponry for the [[Roman army]] from the [[Roman army of the mid-Republic|mid-Republic]] onwards. [[Gladius|Roman swords]] were made of the best-quality steel then available from this region, the ''[[Noric steel|chalybs Noricus]]''. The strength of steel is determined by its composition and heat treatment. The [[wrought iron]] produced in the [[Greco-Roman world]] was too soft for tools and weapons. Ore from Noricum, by contrast, could yield a superior product. The ore needed to be rich in [[manganese]] (an element which remains essential in modern steelmaking processes), and contain little or no [[phosphorus]], which weakens steel.<ref name="Buchwald 2005 124">Buchwald (2005) 124</ref> The ore mined in [[Carinthia]] (S. Noricum) fulfilled both criteria particularly well.<ref>Buchwald (2005) 115</ref> The Noricum discovered their ore made superior steel around 500 BC and built a major steel industry.<ref>Healy (1978) 236</ref>

At [[Magdalensberg]], a major production and trading centre, specialised blacksmiths crafted metal products and weapons. The finished arms were exported to [[Aquileia]], a Roman colony founded in 180 BC.

From 200 BC, the Noricum tribes gradually united into a kingdom, known as the [[Regnum Noricum]], with its capital at a place called [[Noreia]]. Noricum became a key ally of the Roman Republic, providing high-quality weapons and tools in exchange for military protection. This was demonstrated in 113 BC, when [[Teutones]] invaded Noricum. In response, the Roman consul [[Gnaeus Papirius Carbo (consul 113 BC)|Gnaeus Papirius Carbo]] led an army over the Alps to attack the tribes at the [[Battle of Noreia|Noreia]].