THE COMING OF THE HITTITES CAPPADOCIA
THE COMING OF THE HITTITES Around the advent of the second millennium, the Hittites and the Luvi folks of transcaucasian origin advanced into Central Anatolia, then inhabited by the people of Hatti, who spoke the Hattili language. The language of the Hittites was the “Nasili”. The term “Hittites” has its roots only in the Bible and in the Assyrian annals.
As a matter of fact, the newcomers gradually adopted not only the Hattili language and customs, but also the local deities, together with the ancient deities of the Hurrians.
The date of arrival of the Hittites in Anatolia is uncertain, but around 1800 B.C. they were already there and slowly but inexorably subjugated the autochton tribes. One curious and significant fact is certain: the Hittites did not come suddenly, invading Anatolia like savage warriors to sack and devastate the land, massacre the population and violate women. Their incursion ought to have been without combats and bloodletting, because the daily life and the course of progress and civilization were never interrupted. The Hittites arrived like “immigrants” rather than invaders, a concept also supported by archeological evidence.
At Kültepe-Kanesh, embedded in a layer dated to 2000 B.C., ceramic shards of Hittite origin were found, establishing their presence in the region circa 250-300 years previous to the foundation of the Hittite Kingdom.
