Rise of the Hyksos: Egypt and the Levant from the Middle Kingdom to the Early Second Intermediate Period

The Second Intermediate Period of Egypt is characterised by the destabilisation of the Egyptian state. It is also recognised as the time in which the aptly named 'rulers of the foreign lands', or Hyksos, extended their control over parts of Egypt. But, who are these rulers and where did they come from? How did they create their Fifteenth Dynasty within Egypt? This book provides a new appraisal of the circumstances leading to Hyksos rule. Utilising theories on ethnicity and cultural mixing, it investigates the nature and effects of Egyptian-Levantine contact from the Middle Kingdom to the early Second Intermediate Period, and reassesses the Egyptian concept of the other. The approach is holistic, gathering archaeological, textual and artistic evidence from sites across three regions: Egypt, the Eastern Desert, and the Levant. This method is proven to be well suited in shedding light on the origins of the enigmatic Hyksos, offering new insights into how these 'rulers of foreign lands' established their Fifteenth Dynasty in Egypt.