"In the courtyard of a temple in Delhi there exists, as I have already mentioned, a column made of welded iron parts that has been exposed to weathering for more than 4,000 years without showing a trace of rust. In addition it is unaffected by sulfur or phosphorous. Here we have an unknown alloy from antiquity staring us in the face. Perhaps the column was cast by a group of farsighted engineers who did not have the resources for a colossal building but wanted to bequeath to posterity a visible, time-defying monument to their culture.
It is an embarrassing story: in advanced cultures of the past we find buildings that we cannot copy today with the most modern technical means. The stone masses are there- they cannot be argued away. Because that which ought not to exist cannot exist, there is a frantic search for 'rational' explanations."
