How did Hattian culture influence the Hittite Empire?

The Hattian people, who were the indigenous inhabitants of central Anatolia, exerted a significant influence on the Hittite Empire primarily through the religious sphere. Although the Hattian language was a dead language by the time of the Hittite New Empire, the Hittites adopted the name of their predecessors for their own land, which was known as the "Land of Hatti".12

The cultural legacy of the Hattians is most clearly preserved in the Hittite cuneiform texts discovered at the capital, Hattusa. These records indicate that the Hittites maintained and utilized Hattian material specifically for religious purposes, including:

• Rituals and Liturgy: Hittite scribes preserved various Hattian rituals, such as those performed for the erection of new buildings, as well as litanies, antiphons, and incantations.1
• Mythology: Hattian myths were integrated into the Hittite religious tradition, often accompanied by Hittite translations.1
• Religious Integration: The Hittite religion was characterized by a tolerant polytheism that incorporated indigenous Anatolian deities alongside those of other cultures, reflecting a deep-seated continuity with the religious practices of the region's earliest inhabitants.34

While the Indo-European Hittite language eventually replaced the Hattian language, the Hittites' adoption of Hattian religious texts and their identification with the "Land of Hatti" demonstrate a profound cultural assimilation of their predecessors' traditions.12