Toledo steel, known historically as unusually hard, is from Toledo, Spain, which has been a traditional sword-making, steel-working center since about 500 BC, and came to the attention of Rome when used by Hannibal in the Punic Wars. Soon, it became a standard source of weaponry for Roman Legions [1].
Toledo steel was famed for its very high quality alloy [2], whereas Damascene steel, a competitor from the Middle Ages on, was famed for a specific metal-working technique [3].