Brief history
The Hittite nation began in about 1600 BCE, was at its height around the mid-14th century BCE, and fell around 1180 BCE. Sometime before 2000 BCE, the Hittites began moving into Anatolia and began to begin taking over the neighboring cultures. At first, there were several Hittite groups, but they eventually came together in Anatolia and formed the Hittite kingdom. Either Labarna I or Hattusili I is credited with founding the Hittite nation, and throughout the Old Kingdom (1600-1500 BCE) the Hittites conquered a vast amount of territory, culminating in the sack of Babylon. The Middle Kingdom (1500-1400 BCE) was an extremely weak period for the Hittites due to constant attack and internal strife, and very little records remain from this period, although during this time the Hittites rulers became some of the first to use diplomacy with neighboring states. The Hittites reached their golden age during the New Kingdom (1400-1180 BCE), until the Assyrian's power grew and the Battle of Kadesh, in which they sustained heavy loses. In the end, they were defeated by the Assyrians around 1180 BCE, but they definitely left their mark on history.