Middle Kingdom & the Hyksos

Collapse of the Old Kingdom Pepe II rules Egypt for close to 90 years (ending in 2152 BCE). Under his reign, many of his children and other members of the royal family had been controlling/managing sections of land. There was no agreement on which of the children should be the next pharaoh Over the next 20 years, 18 different pharaohs are named. Central government stability was gone.

-1 st Intermediate Period is a time of chaos. Old Kingdom Pharaohs overrun by government officials. No one person in charge -1 st intermediate period lasts 200 years

-11 th dynasty starts Middle Kingdom -Pharaoh Montuhotep is 1 st Middle Kingdom Pharaoh -Pharaohs have less power than in Old Kingdom

-Egypt divided into 42 Nomes (like a state) -Each Nome has a leader called a Nomarch who collects taxes and governs for the Pharaoh

-Trade goes beyond the Nile (first international trade) BCE Middle Kingdom ends as Egypt is invaded by the Hyksos

Examine the picture… Who is winning? Explain…

Why were the Egyptians vulnerable to invasion? Then the Hyksos, nomads from Asia, invaded disunited Egypt, set fire to the cities, razed the temples, squandered the accumulated wealth, destroyed much of the accumulated art.

Who were the Hyksos The Hyksos were foreign invaders who overran Egypt in the 17th century BC and established two dynasties. They were probably city dwellers from southern Canaan (later called Palestine by the Romans).

Map of Hyksos territory

How was the military might of the Hyksos better than the Egyptians? The Egyptian forces of the time were exclusively infantry armed with copper weapons. Assuming the Hyksos invaded with cavalry and chariots, scale armor, bronze weapons, and composite bows, the Egyptians would have been completely outclassed. Whether the Hyksos entered Egypt in one major invasion or through a gradual buildup of population, it is almost unthinkable that the Egyptians could have given them much serious military opposition.

What does this statement tell us about the Hyksos? Ancient civilizations were little isles in a sea of barbarism, prosperous settlements surrounded by hungry, envious and warlike hunters and herders; at any moment the wall of defense might be broken down.

What can be learned about the Hyksos in this statement? How does it differ from the previous statement? The period of Hyksos rule was a time of peace and prosperity for Egypt. They respected the native religions, maintained ancient Egyptian as the official language of the government, and allowed many Egyptians to serve in the high levels of the administration of the state. They taught the Egyptians new military techniques and introduced the use of the horse and chariot.

What is nationalism and how does it help the Egyptians? The Hyksos were unable to quell the feelings of Egyptian nationalism. They held the southern lands in check with an alliance with the Nubian kingdom of Kush. Despite this, the southern Egyptian city of Thebes finally began a war of independence that culminated with the expulsion of the Hyksos by Ahmose I in 1567 BC.

How do the Hyksos change? What happens to Egypt? Soon, however, the conquerors (Hyksos) in their turn grew fat and prosperous, and lost control; the Egyptians rose in a war of liberation, expelled them, and established that Eighteenth Dynasty which was to lift Egypt to greater wealth, power and glory than ever before from the Middle Kingdom to the age of the greatest empire in history.

Who is winning in this picture? What have the Egyptians learned about fighting the Hyksos?