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

Manetho's obscure reference to a race of invaders has been a constant source of debate and controversy. But who are these invaders? They are named the 'Hyksos' - a Greek modification of the Egyptian expression Hq A x As.wt 'ruler of foreign lands'. The Hyksos are correlated with the Fifteenth Dynasty of the Second Intermediate Period, a time characterised by the destabilisation and regionalisation of the Egyptian state. Several scholars have pondered over their victory and rule in Egypt, fr...