On the basis of our research and that of others it seems evident that by the beginning of the 10th century B.C. blacksmiths were intentionally steeling iron. Very few iron artifacts of the 12th century B.C. or earlier have been metallurgically analyzed, so that the prevalence of steeling in that period remains uncertain. Nevertheless, a 12th-century knife from Idalion, a site on Cyprus, was certainly carburized to improve its hardness. A site on Mount Adir in northern Israel has yielded an iron pick in association with 12th-century pottery. One would hesitate to remove a sample from the pick for analysis, but it has been possible to test the tip of it for hardness. The readings averaged 38 on the Rockwell "C" scale of hardness. This is a reading characteristic of a modern hardened steel.