The Hittites (Hattians) were a people group descended from a man named Hit. The original Hittites, known by scholars as the Hattians, were the original settlers of the land of Hatti, originally settling in the land of Hatti in the 22nd century BC. The original inhabitants of the land of Hatti spoke what scholars call the Hattic language. Over time, due to contact with Europeans, usage of the Hattic language in the land of Hatti was replaced by the language that scholars call the Hittite language. Due to foreign influence from Europe, the land of Hatti was divided into the old Hittites and the new Hittites. The old Hittites sought to preserve the Hattic language as well as their traditional values, but the new Hittites, who spoke the Hittite language and had new foreign values, sought to overthrow the old Hittites. The new Hittites were successful in overthrowing the old Hittites, which resulted in the beginning of the Hittite Empire.