After 1180 BC , amid general turmoil in the Levant associated with the sudden arrival of the Sea Peoples , the kingdom disintegrated into several independent `` Neo-Hittite '' city-states , some of which survived until as late as the 8th century BC .
After 1180 BC , the empire disintegrated into several independent `` Neo-Hittite '' city-states , some surviving until as late as the 8th century BC .