The Hittite Empire was a major power in Anatolia (modern Turkey) during the Late Bronze Age.

Their capital was the heavily fortified city of Hattusa.

The Hittites were among the earliest civilizations to develop and use iron-working on a large scale, giving them a military advantage.

This pioneering use of iron marks them as a key civilization in the transition from the Bronze Age to the Iron Age.

They are known for their use of horse-drawn chariots, which were a formidable military technology.

The Battle of Kadesh (c. 1274 BCE) was a massive chariot battle between the Hittites and the Egyptian empire of Ramesses II.

The aftermath of the battle led to the Treaty of Kadesh, the world's oldest surviving peace treaty.

The Hittites spoke an Indo-European language, one of the earliest of that family to be recorded in writing.

Their legal code was notable for its use of restitution and compensation rather than purely retributive punishments.

The Hittite Empire collapsed around 1200 BCE during the wider Late Bronze Age Collapse.