Steel, which is iron mixed with other materials, is just as hard, but is flexible and not so easy to shatter.
Actually, steelmaking is a refinement of ironmaking in which impurities (primarily carbon) are greatly reduced.
(Cast Iron = 2~5% carbon, Steel = 1% carbon or less.)
The controlled addition of alloying elements didn't evolve until much later.
The unique properties of Damascus Steel arise from its forging process, which is essentially a combination of heat treatment & mechanical working that affects the molecular structure of the residual carbon.
Kind of a quibble, but they don't just reduce the carbon, they eliminate it and then add some back in.
Do you work for Alcoa?