After the 1180s BCE, amid general turmoil in the Levant associated with the sudden arrival of the Sea Peoples, the empire disintegrated into several independent "Neo-Hittite" city-states, some of which survived until as late as the 8th century BCE.
As a result of the turmoil that erupted in the Levant around 1180s BCE, triggered by the sudden invasion of the Sea Peoples, the empire broke apart into several autonomous "Neo-Hittite" city-states, which continued to exist until the 8th century BCE.