The Hyksos

The origin of the term “Hyksos” derives from the Egyptian expression heka khasewet (”rulers of foreign lands”), used in Egyptian texts such as the Turin King List to describe the rulers of neighbouring lands. This expression begins to appear as early as the late Old Kingdom in Egypt, referring to various Nubian chieftains, and as early as the Middle Kingdom, referring to the Semitic chieftains of Syria and Canaan. It is generally accepted that only the six kings of the Fifteenth Dynasty are properly to be called “Hyksos”, because not only do they bear Egyptian royal titles, but they are specifically called Hyksos by Manetho. The Turin Canon king list affirms there were six Hyksos rulers, but only four of them are known from archaeological or textual records: Sakir-Har, Khyan, Apophis and Khamudi. Khyan and Apophis are by far the best attested kings of this dynasty whereas Sakir-Har is attested by only a single door jamb from Avaris which bears his royal titulary. Khamudi is named as the last Hyksos king in a fragment from the Turin Canon.

Around 1720-1710 BCE, Egypt began to be invaded by a people “of obscure race”, the Hyksos.  These Hyksos melted easily into Egyptian society at first; eventually they became very powerful, and finally, in a coup, they came to rule the whole of Northern Egypt, imposing one of their people as the legitimate Pharaoh.

It is usually assumed that the Hyksos were likely Semites who came from the Levant (ie. Syria or Palestine) although this has not been proven beyond all doubt. Kamose’s explicit statement about the Asiatic origins of Apophis is the strongest evidence for a Canaanite background for the majority of the Hyksos. Kamose, the last king of the Theban 17th Dynasty, refers to Apophis as a “Chieftain of Retjenu (i.e., Canaan)” in a stela which implies a Canaanite background for this Hyksos king. Khyan’s name “has generally been interpreted as Amorite “Hayanu” (reading h-ya-a-n) which the Egyptian form represents perfectly, and this is in all likelihood the correct interpretation.” [1] Ryholt furthermore observes the name Hayanu is recorded in the Assyrian king-lists for a “remote ancestor” of Shamshi-Adad I (c.1800 BC) of Assyria, which suggests that it had been used for centuries prior to Khyan’s own reign.

The issue of Sakir-Har’s name, one of the three earliest 15th Dynasty kings, also leans towards a West Semitic or Canaanite origin for the Hyksos rulers–if not the Hyksos peoples themselves. As Ryholt notes, the name Sakir Har:

“ is evidently a theophorous name compounded with hr, Canaanite harru, [or] ‘mountain.’ This sacred or deified mountain is attested in at least two other names which are both West Semitic (Ya’qub-Har and Anar-Har) and so there is reason to suspect that the present name also may be West Semitic. The element skr seems to be identical with ?kr, ‘to hire, to reward’, which occurs in several Amorite names. Assuming that ?kr takes a nominal form as in the names sa-ki-ru-um and sa-ka-?u-um, the name should be transliterated as either Sakir-Har or Sakar-Har. The former two names presumably mean ‘the Reward’ Accordingly, the name here under consideration would mean ‘Reward of Har.’[2]

During the Hyksos rule of Upper Egypt, they established their capital in the city of Avaris in the Delta, and the legitimate line of Pharaohs had to move to Thebes (now Luxor) in the South, ruling only over Lower Egypt.

For about a hundred years, there was relative peace and cooperation between the two Pharaohs, simply because the Hyksos were really very good rulers, knowing how to adopt and improve the Egyptian lifestyle.

Egyptian  “conventional chronology” time tables

15th Dynasty 1674-1567 BC – Hyksos kings

Sheshi (Salitis?)
Yakubber (Bnon?)
Khyan (Apachnan)
Apepi I (Apophis)
Apepi II (Khamudi?) (c.1542-1532)

16th Dynasty 1684-1567 BC – Hyksos kings

Anather
Yakobaam ?  

Notes:

[1] Ryholt, Kim SB. The Political Situation in Egypt during the Second Intermediate Period c.1800-1550 B.C. (1997) by Museum Tuscalanum Press, p.128
[2] Ryholt, Kim SB. The Political Situation in Egypt during the Second Intermediate Period c.1800-1550 B.C. (1997) by Museum Tuscalanum Press pp.127-128