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"For a hundred years, Egypt was ruled by foreigners. They brought with them the weapons of the future: the horse, the chariot, and the composite bow. Egypt learned these lessons in blood, then used them to forge the greatest empire the world had ever seen."
The Second Intermediate Period was a time of humiliation for Egypt. A group of Semitic Asiatics known as the Hyksos (Heka-Khasut, meaning "Rulers of Foreign Lands") infiltrated the Delta, seized the city of Avaris, and ruled Lower Egypt for over a century. Their military superiority was undeniable.
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The Weapons of Change
The Egyptians were defeated because they fought on foot with stone maces and simple bows. The Hyksos introduced advanced military technology that revolutionized warfare:
- The War Chariot: A light, two-wheeled vehicle drawn by horses. It acted as a mobile firing platform, allowing archers to rain arrows while moving at speed.
- The Composite Bow: Made of wood, horn, and sinew, it had a range of over 250 meters—double that of the Egyptian self-bow.
- Bronze Weapons: The Hyksos brought superior bronze casting techniques for swords (like the curved Khepesh) and armor.
The War of Liberation
Resistance began in Thebes (Luxor) with the 17th Dynasty. The native Egyptian princes adopted the weapons of their enemy to fight back.
Seqenenre Tao (The Brave)
He initiated the war but paid the ultimate price. His mummy, found in the Deir el-Bahri cache, bears horrific head wounds from Hyksos battle axes, showing he died on the front lines.
Kamose
Seqenenre's son, who continued the fight. He raided Avaris and intercepted a message from the Hyksos king asking the Nubians (Kush) to attack Egypt from the south, revealing a deadly pincer strategy.
Ahmose I and the New Kingdom
It was Ahmose I (brother of Kamose) who finally besieged Avaris, expelled the Hyksos, and chased them into Palestine (Sharuhen).
This victory marked the beginning of the 18th Dynasty and the New Kingdom. Having learned the hard way that isolation was dangerous, Egypt became an aggressive imperial power, using its new chariot army to conquer territory from the Euphrates in Syria to the Fourth Cataract in Nubia.