The Hittites were an ancient people from Asia Minor who were politically and militarily influential in Syria and Canaan (parts of present-day Lebanon and Palestine) during the 2nd millennium BC. The first archaeological evidence of the Hittites appeared in the Assyrian trade colonies in Kanes (modern Kültepe), where records documented trade between the Assyrians and a certain "Land of Hatti." One groundbreaking invention of the Hittites, which has been underestimated in scholarly reflection, was the smelting of iron ore into hardenable steel, alongside their early use of iron (possibly from iron meteorites). Due to its rarity and difficult production, it was initially used for cultic practices in the form of tiny figurines and sun discs. A richly decorated ceremonial axe with an iron blade, dated to 1450 to 1365 BC, was discovered.