Archaeologists have discovered that, at the beginning of the MB II B period (Bronze Age between 1750-1650 B.C.E.), a new form of warrior enter Palestine from the East and went all the way south into Egypt. The Egyptians gave these people the name of Hyksos, meaning conquerors of foreign lands or Shepherd Kings. They ruled an empire that contained Egypt and the territories that surrounded it. When the Hyksos took control over the territory, they tried to destroy all the monuments, kill every native person, and erase Egyptian beliefs into theirs, starting a new era in Egypt.1
Archaeologists describe the Hyksos as a group identified as multi-ethnic that come from West Asia. The Hyksos conquered the Nile Delta and the rest of Egypt. At that time, Egypt was divided into two major regions, Lower Egypt, which was North Egypt, and Upper Egypt which was South Egypt.2 The Hyksos took control over Egypt with a massive army made up of foreign warriors that had no mercy for their enemies. They destroyed everything that got in their way: cities, temples, and houses; and they overran the lands as well. The Hyksos were successful with their attacks. They revolutionized methods of warfare. The Hyksos modified their bows to be more precise and deadly, as well as modifying arrowheads, daggers, swords, and shields. Most importantly, they used the horse war chariot, which made them famous and caused fear among the Egyptians.3 The Hyksos used several cities for different purposes, and all of them equally important. Memphis was the actual capital of the Hyksos. The city of Avaris was a camp located in Lower Egypt, where the government was located. Immense walls were built around the city to fortify it. These walls were forty-five feet high and six feet wide; these walls still exist today. Heliopolis was a city built dedicated for religious purposes only.4
Salatis was the name of the first Hyksos king to rule Upper and Lower Egypt. After conquering both parts of Egypt, he fortified the eastern frontier. Salatis was scared of the Assyrians. They were a group of people who were growing in power and were causing some fear to the kingdom of Salatis. After Salatis died, three dynasties of Hyksos followed him. The last to ruled the Hyksos was a man named Joseph. At the end of Joseph’s reign, the Thebans declared their independence from the Hyksos kingdom. The Thebans were a group of people that had some control over Upper Egypt and who did not like the way the Hyksos ruled. After the Thebans won the war, they decided to expel all the Hyksos from the lands of Egypt, making the Hyksos just another falling kingdom.5
- William Stevenson Smith, “Review of The Rise and Fall of the Middle Kingdom in Thebes,” American Journal of Archaeology vol. 52 no. 2 (1948): 305. ↵
- Carol A. Redmount, “Ethnicity, pottery, and the Hyksos at Tell El-Maskhuta in the Egyptian Delta,” Biblical Archaeologist 58, no. 4 (1995): 182. ↵
- William J. Murnane, “The Second Stela of Kamose and His Struggle against the Hyksos Ruler and His Capital Labib Habachi,” Journal Of Near Eastern Studies 37, no. 3 (1978): 277. ↵
- William H. Stiebing, “Hyksos burials in Palestine: a review of the evidence,” Journal Of Near Eastern Studies no. 2 (1971): 110-13. ↵
- William Stevenson Smith, “Review of The Rise and Fall of the Middle Kingdom in Thebes,” American Journal of Archaeology vol. 52 no. 2 (1948): 306. ↵
28 comments
Johnanthony Hernandez
Great article, I always forget that Ancient Egypt wasn’t always unified and while I remember the Upper and Lower Kingdoms the Middle Kingdom seems to slip my mind. But up until reading your article I didn’t know about the Hyksos or that they were among the first to use horses for warfare. For a foreign power to be able to conquer Egypt using their ruthlessness that the Egyptians were not prepared for.
Oceane Roux
Thank you for this article! First of all, I loved the first picture that the author used in the article. I had never heard of the Hyksos before reading this article, and I really enjoyed learning about their story. I find it really interesting that they were the first civilization to use horses during battles. This article was very informative, and I honestly enjoyed reading it!
Tyler Sleeter
Very informative article. I had never heard of the Hyksos before reading this article and certainly did not know they had brought down the Egyptians. As you stated, they appear to be great conquerors that were able to conquer and destroy Egypt and other places in that region and rule for so long. It is terrible that we know so little about them from an archaeological point and that most of what we know comes from a historian of that era.
Steven Clinton
Interesting article. Before reading this, I never heard of Egyptian civilization being conquered. The Hyksos seem to be the dominant super power of the time. Interesting enough there isn’t much background information on the Hyksos; there were four dynasties but not much to show for it. The Hyksos military advancement greatly helped them conquered Egypt. I can’t wait for your next article!
Nahim Rancharan
This was a very interesting article on the Hyksos. I did not know who they were or their relevance to Egyptian history until now. What was even more captivating about this article was the notion that the Hyksos made popular the art of going into war/battle in chariots pulled by horses, made even more interesting by shooting arrows while riding them. This was fascinating to hear. Additionally, it also highlighted the type of conquerers the Hyksos really were, which makes it easier to compare to the other conquerers that have made their mark on history. Excellent Work!
Nicolas McKay
Great job Rafael. I had never herd of the Hyksos before, I always assumed the Egyptians were always in charge of the land, and had no idea a foreign army had taken control of so much of their land. They truly sounded like a formidable force, and I am surprised that they lost their foothold the way that they did.
Aaron Jaramillo
What an amazing article. I had no idea what the Hyksos were before reading your article. It is quite interesting to read that they were the ones that modified warfare. I would always wonder who started to bring horses into battle. The Hyksos were ruthless warriors that only wanted to inflict destruction. Overall, very good job on your article Rafael.
Sam Vandenbrink
Great little article, very short and too the point. articles like these are my cup of tree – because its not that much reading but by the end of the article you feel like you’ve learned allot! The Hyksos sound like a very intimidating group of Egyptians. There advanced weapons and knew “tools” for fighting made them a power house in there era. The Egyptians have always enterested me, great article made me want to keep learning more about Egyptian history!
Mario Sosa
It is always fascinating to read about ancient conquests. I never thought that Egypt would get conquered by a foreign group that came from west Asia. It seems as though the Hyksos were much more superior in their fighting, so it makes me question how the Egyptians were eventually able to take their land back. Conquering Egypt would seem like a very big deal, so I wonder why there is not much information on the Hyksos invasion. Great topic, nice job.
Cameron Mays
This article was interesting, but because of the lack of information available, which you yourself talked about, it seems quite ambitious to write a full article about this subject. In other words, the topic is interesting, but I was wanting more information about basically every aspect of their life, and maybe you could have given it, maybe it’s not available, but in either case I think it was needed to an extent.