The Second Intermediate Period (c. 1782-1550 BCE) marks a time when Ancient Egypt once again fell into disarray between the end of the Middle Kingdom and the start of the New Kingdom.
Map of Ancient Egypt.
The End of the Middle Kingdom and the Rise of the Thirteenth Dynasty
The brilliant Egyptian Twelfth Dynasty-and the Golden Age of the Middle Kingdom- came to an end around 1800 BCE with the death of Queen Sobekneferu (1806-1802 BCE), and was succeeded by the much weaker Thirteenth Dynasty (1803-1649 BCE).
Retaining the seat of the 12th Dynasty, the 13th Dynasty (c. The 13th Dynasty switched to Thebes in the far south possibly in the reign of Merneferre Ay.
For some authors, this marks the end of the Middle Kingdom and the beginning of the Second Intermediate Period.
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This analysis is rejected by Ryholt and Baker however, who note that the stele of Seheqenre Sankhptahi, reigning toward the end of the dynasty, strongly suggests that he reigned over Memphis.
The Fourteenth Dynasty and the Emergence of the Hyksos
The Thirteenth Dynasty proved unable to hold onto the long land of Egypt, and the provincial ruling family in Xois, located in the marshes of the western Delta, broke away from the central authority to form the Fourteenth Dynasty.
The capital of this dynasty was likely Avaris.
The precise borders of the 14th Dynasty state are not known, due to the general scarcity of its monuments.
The 14th Dynasty saw great success during their early years, but like the late 13th Dynasty, the rulers were replaced in rapid succession.
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The Hyksos made their first appearance during the reign of Sobekhotep IV, and overran Egypt at the end of the Fourteenth Dynasty.
The Hyksos established their own dynasty in Egypt, the 15th Dynasty (c.1650 to 1550 BC).
The first king of the 15th Dynasty, Salitis, described as a Hyksos (ḥḳꜣw-ḫꜣswt, a "shepherd" according to Africanus), led his people into an occupation of the Nile Delta area and settled his capital at Avaris.
According to Manetho, Salitis is believed to have conquered the entirety of Egypt, however it is more likely that his rule did not extend beyond Lower Egypt.
It is debated if the movement of the Hyksos was a military invasion or a mass migration of Asiatics from Palestine.
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A recent Strontium isotope analysis also dismissed the invasion model in favor of a migration one.
Hyksos Scarab.
The Hyksos made their first appearance in 1650 BCE and took control of the town of Avaris.
They would also conquer the Sixteenth Dynasty in Thebes and a local dynasty in Abydos.
The Hyksos were of mixed Asiatic origin with mainly Semitic components, and their native storm god, Baal, became associated with the Egyptian storm god Seth.
They brought technological innovation to Egypt, including bronze and pottery techniques, new breeds of animals and new crops, the horse and chariot, composite bow, battle-axes, and fortification techniques for warfare.
The Abydos Dynasty and the Sixteenth Dynasty
The Abydos Dynasty was a short-lived local dynasty that ruled over part of Upper Egypt and was contemporaneous with the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Dynasties c. 1650-1600 BCE.
The Abydos Dynasty (c. 1640 to 1620 BC.) may have been a short-lived local dynasty ruling over part of Upper Egypt during the Second Intermediate Period in Ancient Egypt and was contemporary with the 15th and 16th dynasties.
Very little is known about the Abydos dynasty, since it was very short-lived, though we do have some king names that appear in Turin king list, but not in any other sources.
The 16th Dynasty (c. 1650-1580 BC) ruled the Theban region in Upper Egypt.
The continuing war against the 15th Dynasty dominated the short-lived 16th Dynasty.
The armies of the 15th Dynasty, winning town after town from their southern enemies, continually encroached on 16th Dynasty territory, eventually threatening and then conquering Thebes itself.
The end of the 16th Dynasty came after relentless military pressure by the succeeding 15th Dynasty after many attempts, with evidence of Nebiryraw I's own personal seals being found in the Hyksos territory.
The Seventeenth Dynasty and the War of Liberation
Around the time Memphis and Itj-tawy fell to the Hyksos, the native Egyptian ruling house in Thebes declared its independence from Itj-tawy and became the Seventeenth Dynasty.
The Seventeenth Dynasty established itself in Thebes around the time that the Hyksos took power in Egypt, and co-existed with the Hyksos through trade for a period of time.
This dynasty would eventually lead the war of liberation that drove the Hyksos back into Asia.
The Theban-based Seventeenth Dynasty restored numerous temples throughout Upper Egypt while maintaining peaceful trading relations with the Hyksos kingdom in the north.
Indeed, Senakhtenre Ahmose, the first king in the line of Ahmoside kings, even imported white limestone from the Hyksos-controlled region of Tura to make a granary door at the Temple of Karnak.
The 17th Dynasty maintained a short-lived peace with the 15th Dynasty, which ended with the start of the reign of Seqenenre (c. 1549-1545 BC), who started a series of wars against the Hyksos.
However, his successors-the final two kings of this dynasty-,Seqenenre Tao and Kamose, defeated the Hyksos through several wars of liberation.
The history of Egypt - The Hyksos Invasion l Lessons of Dr. David Neiman
The End of the Second Intermediate Period and the Rise of the Eighteenth Dynasty
At the end of the Second Intermediate period, the 18th Dynasty came to power in Egypt.
The first king of the 18th Dynasty, Ahmose, completed the expulsion of the Hyksos from Egypt and consolidated his rule over the land, unifying Upper and Lower Egypt.
Pharaoh Ahmose I slaying a probable Hyksos.
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