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When were the earliest known Hittite texts written?

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Map of ancient Anatolia and northern Syria showing the geographic distribution of Anatolian languages, including Hittite, Hattian, Lydian, Phrygian, Palaic, Carian, Lycian, Pisidian, Hurrian, and Urartean. Major historical sites such as Hattusa, Kanesh, and Ugarit are marked, with the Black Sea and Mediterranean Sea bordering the region. — Anatolian languages Distribution of the Anatolian languages.

The earliest known Hittite texts date from the 17th century BCE. These records, known as Old Hittite, represent the earliest discovered examples of an Indo-European language.123

While most surviving texts in Old Hittite were preserved as copies made during the later empire period (approximately 1400–1180 BCE), the original language was used between approximately 1650 and 1500 BCE. Additionally, earlier linguistic material—consisting of indigenous proper names and loanwords—is found in the Cappadocian tablets, which date to circa 2000–1735 BCE.23