Hittite Empire. By King Hattusili I. [Historians employ the span of his rule, 1586–1556 BCE as the time–frame for the introduction of the above–noted war chariots. Hattusili I apparently used the title “Labarna” and extended Hittite territory to the Mediterranean in the Syria region…. The Hittite Kingdom reached its height in the fourteenth century, meaning approximately 200 years after Hattusili I….
The Battle of Kadesh (on the Orontes River in modern–day Syria) in 1274 BCE noted below, in which Hittite chariot–innovations proved pivotal in besting the Egyptian armies, was likely to have been the largest chariot battle ever fought, involving over 5,000 war chariots in total. Thus, it would appear that the Hittite’s consistently parlayed technological advance in chariot design and battle tactics to best their adversaries – over more than a 300–year span. [Note: After the Hittites defeated the Egyptians at Kadesh, civil war imploded the Hittite empire.]