The geography of the Hittite Empire is inferred from Hittite texts on the one hand, and from archaeological excavation on the other. Matching philology to archaeology is a difficult and ongoing task, and so far, only a handful of sites are identified with their ancient name with certainty.
The Hittite kingdom was centered on the lands surrounding Hattusa and Neša, known as "the land of the Hatti" (URUHa-at-ti). After Hattusa was made the Hittite capital, the area encompassed by the bend of the Halys River (which they called the Marassantiya) was considered the core of the empire, and some Hittite laws make a distinction between "this side of the river" and "that side of the river". For example, the reward for the capture of a runaway slave after he managed to flee beyond the Halys is higher than that for a slave caught before he could reach the river.
To the south of the core territory was the land of Kizzuwatna in the area of the Taurus Mountains. To the west, the confederacies of Arzawa and Assuwa, the second of which in particular may not have indicated a contiguous geographic area. To the north, the mountain people of the "Kaskians". To the east, the Mitanni. After the incorporation or association of Arzawa and Mitanni (under Suppiluliuma I), the Hittite sphere of influence under Mursili II bordered on the "Hayasa-Azzi" to the east, on the "Ahhiyawa" and the newly forming Assuwa league to the west, on Egypt-controlled Canaan to the south, and on Assyria to the south-east.
List of Hittite sites
Acem Hüyük Tell Açana Adana Tell Ahmar Akar Çay Aksu Çayı Alaca Höyük Aleppo Alishar Hüyük Amasya Andaval Antakya Antalya Arslantepe-Malatya Asarcık Bahçe Bakır Çey Bergama Beycesultan Beyköy Beyşehir Gölü Birecik Bobeypınarı Bodrum Boğazkale: Hattusa Bolkarmaden Bolu Bor Bursa Büyükmenderes Nehir Büyüknefes Çağdın Çalapverdi Çankırı in Paphlagonia Çekerek Ceyhan Nehir Çorum Darende Dazmana Delice Su Demirci-deresi Devrez Çayı Didim Divriği Efes Eflatun Pınar Eğirdir Gölü Eğrek Eğriköy Elbistan Emirgazi Ereğli Erkilet Ermenek Eskişehir Eskiyapar Tell al-Fakhariyeh Fasiler Fraktin Gâvur Kalesi Gaziantep Gediz Nehir Gilindere Giresun Gök Irmak Gök Su Gülnar Gürün Hama Hanyeri Hatip Havuzköy Hisarlık: Wilusa Hüseyindede Tepe Ilgaz Dağı Imamkulu İnandık Iskendenru Islâhiye Ispekçür Ivriz Izgın İzmir İzmit İznik Jekke Jerablus Jubayl Karabel Karaburçlu Karaburna Karahüyük by Elbistan Karahüyük by Konya
Karaman Karatepe Karga Kaş Kayalıpınar Kayseri Tell Kazel Kelkit Çay Kemah Kilise Tepe Kinet Hüyük Kızıl Irmak Kızıldağ Konya: Tarhuntassa? Korucutepe Kötükale Köylütolu Küçükmenderes Nehir Kültepe: Kaneš Kürtoğlu Kurubel Kuşaklı: Sarissa Lésvos Mahalıç Malkaya Manisa Mar'aş Maşat Hüyük Menderes Çayı Mersin Meskene Milet el-Mishrifeh Mitlini Mut Niğde Nur Dağları Ortaköy, Çorum: Sapinuwa Palanga Porsuk Çay Pozantı Qalat el-Mudiq Ras Shamra Restan Saida Sakarya Nehir Sakçagözü Samsat: Samosata Samsun Şar Sart Şebin Karahısar Selgin Seyhan Nehir Silifke Sinop Sipylus Sirkeli Sivas Sivasa Sivrihisar Sultanhanı Tell Tainat Tarsus Tasçın Tekir Tell Nebi Mend Topada Torbalı Turhal Tuz Gölü Tyre Uşaklı Höyük Yağri Yazılıkaya Zile Zincirli
References
Garstang & Gurney, Geography of the Hittite Empire (1959) Matthews, Oliver & Glatz, Claudia, "The historical geography of north-central Anatolia in the Hittite period: texts and archaeology in concert", Anatolian Studies 59 (2009): 51–72. https://www.academia.edu/462646/The_historical_geography_of_north-central_Anatolia_in_the_Hittite_period_texts_and_archaeology_in_concert
External links Map of the Hittite Empire Map of the Hittite Sites Hittite sites with monuments