Antiquity

Hittites

Period
1600 BC – 1151 BC
Duration
approx. 449 years
Greatest extent
around 1300 BC
Area (max.)
approx. 322,000 km²
Hittites at its greatest extent (around 1300 BC) · Borders: Cliopatria
▶ View on the interactive map

Profile

Strength

An early chariot-warfare great power, possibly among the first to work iron (debated).

Famous figures

  • Suppiluliuma I
  • Mursili II
  • Muwatalli II
  • Hattusili III

Wars & battles won

  • Conquest of Mitanni (c. 1340 BC)

Wars & battles lost

  • Bronze Age collapse (c. 1180 BC)

Draw / disputed

  • Battle of Kadesh (c. 1274 BC)

Languages

  • Hittite
  • Luwian

Period and duration

Hittites — according to the map data from 1600 BC to 1151 BC, roughly 449 years. The dates refer to the time the empire is drawn as its own territory on the world map; historians sometimes date its founding and end differently.

Greatest extent

Hittites — greatest extent around 1300 BC: the mapped borders then cover about 322,000 km², roughly 0.2% of Earth's land area. The area is calculated from the border lines of the map and is therefore an approximation.

1600 BCArea according to the map data (max. 322,000 km²)1151 BC

Predecessors and successors

States that ruled the same territory directly before and after:

Before (1601 BC)

No predecessors in the map data.

After

Neighbours around 1300 BC

The largest states in the region at the same time:

Learn more

Borders and dates: Cliopatria / Seshat Global History Databank (CC BY 4.0). Coastlines: Natural Earth. Text: Centaurian.