The Luwians, Hatti and Hurrians, among others, inhabit ancient Anatolia when the Hittites rise to power in the 17th century BCE. The Hittites assimilate the Hatti and have words with the neighbors. Spats arise, but overall the spirit is one of compromise, progressive thinking and local harmony. Goods and Gods are exchanged over growing trade routes.
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There are plenty of others to battle, including the Egyptians, poking around the border countries, the Kaskians or mountain people making raids south of the Baltic, and the occasional rebellion, civil war or territorial dispute.
In the 20th century BCE, Hittite is the earliest example of a definitive Indo-European language. The Luwians have been here a while, existing in various parts of the lands of Anatolia and Mesopotamia. They first make their presence felt c. 2000 BCE.
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The Luwians are mentioned in Old Assyrian Empire documents from the Assyrian trading town Kültepe (Kultepe), central Anatolia, dating from between 1950 and 1700 BCE. Here Luwian and Hittite are shown to be two distinct languages.
The origins of the Luwians are obscure. They may have been a united nation at one point and branched off into other communities and kingdoms. They may have migrated with other groups and settled parts of Anatolia and Mesopotamia.
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Some scholars believe they were based at the site of Purushanda, referred to in documents but not yet found in modern times. The type of Luwian language spoken in the ancient Hittite capital, Hattusa, differs from that spoken in the region of Kizzuwatna.
The Hittites conquer the region in the 17th century BCE. About a hundred years later it breaks off into independent Kizzuwatna, and a Great King is crowned. The Hittite monarch has to sign a treaty with the King of Kizzuwatna, but shortly thereafter the area becomes a vassal of the Hurrians. Eventually it returns to Hittite control.
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During the Hittite New Kingdom (c. 1400 BCE), Luwian replaces Hittite as the empire's dominant language. In the early Iron Age, several Luwian-speaking Neo-Hittite states arise in northern Syria.
In the early 13th century BCE, Puduhepa, later Queen of the Hittite king Hattusili III, is a priestess in Kizzuwatna. When she marries Hattusili, she brings along some of her local pantheon, including the goddess Hepat of Aleppo, who is equated with the Sun Goddess of Arinna. Famous for her diplomacy, Puduhepa helps keep the Empires at peace.
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This is apparent in the mythical marriage of Hepat to the Luwian Tarḫunz, concordant to the prevailing trend of deific crossover among the ancient cultures. Some mythologies are similar, shared or interchangeable, often for political reasons.
The Luwains worship the great Storm God Tarḫunz, for instance, who equates with Teshub, Tarhun and Tarḫunna in surrounding beliefs. The fortuitous wedding of Hepat and Tarhunz emulates that of Sun Goddess of Arinna to weather god and sky father Tarhunna.
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After the collapse of the Hittite Empire c. 1180 BCE, several Luwian groups split off into separate regions, states and prince-doms. The majority are destroyed or incorporated into the Neo-Assyrian Empire (911 - 605 BCE) during the 9th century BCE.
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From the exhibition "Forgotten Kingdoms" at the Louvre:
"This basalt pedestal vase (above), engraved with an inscription in louvite hieroglyphics, was discovered in southern Iraq in the 1880s. It may come from Babylon or Sippar, but was certainly made in northern Syria. According to the dedication, the bowl was carved in honor of the god of the storm by a character whose name has not been preserved.
The expression "God of the storm of heaven" is another name of the god of the storm of Aleppo. The bowl could be specifically carved for the temple of the storm god of Aleppo."
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