The geographical setting of Hattusa reflected the strategic acumen of its founders, who chose a location that combined natural defensive advantages with access to vital trade routes and agricultural resources that would support a major urban center. The site, located approximately 150 kilometers east of modern Ankara in the Çorum Province of Turkey, sits on a rocky plateau surrounded by steep gorges and hills that provided natural fortifications while also commanding views over the surrounding countryside. The nearby Kızılırmak River, ancient Halys, ensured adequate water supplies and facilitated transportation and communication with other regions of the growing Hittite realm.
The origins of Hittite civilization trace back to the early 2nd millennium BCE, when Indo-European speaking peoples began establishing themselves in central Anatolia and gradually developed the political and cultural institutions that would enable them to build one of the ancient world's great empires. These early Hittites, whose language belonged to the same Indo-European family as Sanskrit, Greek, and Latin, brought with them advanced metallurgical techniques, horse-drawn chariot technology, and political concepts that they combined with existing Anatolian traditions to create a unique and powerful civilization.