How did the Hittites empire end?

Answer 1

The Hittites were an Aryan people living in central Anatolia from about 1850 BCE to around 1200 BCE. They came to prominence largely because of their knowledge of iron production, a skill they managed to keep as a closely guarded secret until the breakdown of the Hittite empire in the twelfth century BCE. They never held Mesopotamian territory to any significant degree, but were a major power in the region and occasionally challenged Egypt in Syria and the Levant.

Seti I of Egypt concluded a shortlived treaty with the Hittites, but Ramses II (1304-1237 BCE), achieved a lasting peace settlement following the battle of Qadesh in 1289 BCE.

The twelfth and eleventh centuries are known as the Greek Dark Ages, the causes of which are still not fully understood. During this period, there were major population replacements in the region, including Cyprus and the Levant, and the Hittite empire collapsed.

The Bible speaks of Hittites during a later period, but it is generally accepted that these Hittites were a local population of Canaanites.

The Hittites were a people speaking an Indo-European language living in central Anatolia, in a land they called "Hatti," from about 1850 BCE to around 1200 BCE. At their height, they established an empire that (including vassal states) extended from the Aegean Sea on the west to the Euphrates River on the east, and as far south as the headwaters of the Jordan River. Though they did once capture Babylon, they soon left and never held Mesopotamian territory to any significant degree after that time.

Seti I of Egypt concluded a short-lived treaty with the Hittites, but Ramses II (1304-1237 BCE), achieved a lasting peace settlement following the battle of Qadesh in 1289 BCE. Please note that these dates are approximate, and that most historians probably favor the ultra-low chronology currently, which would place the Battle of Qadesh at 1274 BCE.

Around 1180 BCE or so (ultra-low chronology), the Hittite vassal state of Ugarit in the northern Levant (modern Ras Shamra in Lebanon) was destroyed, leaving behind a fire-hardened tablet testifying to raids from people in ships. Around this same time, there is evidence that the last known king of Hatti, Suppiluliuma II, had taken ship, something very uncommon for the Hittites, to attack Cyprus. There are also indications that there was famine in Hatti at roughly this time, attested by Egyptian grain shipments through Ugarit. No one knows, for sure, exactly how Hatti fell, but it seems probable that it was a combination of attacks from without by raiders and weakness from within.

The Hittites lived on in rump states in the northern Levant, with Carchemish the easternmost extent and eastern Cilicia the westernmost extent of these Luwian-speaking, neo-Hittites. Eventually, the neo-Hittite states were attacked and absorbed by Assyria.

Answer 2

The Hittites established a strong centralized government and in 1500 BC, they emerged as a military power in the Mideast. They also adapted the Mesopotamian culture such as writing and other aspects of Mesopotamian culture through the people of Northern Syria.