Similar to the
First Intermediate Period of Egypt, the Second Intermediate Period was dynamic time in which rule of Egypt was roughly divided between rival power bases in
Upper Egypt and
Lower Egypt, each controlling a portion of land.
14th Dynasty The 13th Dynasty proved unable to hold on to the entire territory of Egypt, and a provincial ruling family, located in the
Nile Delta, broke away from the central authority to form the
14th Dynasty (–1650 BC). According to Syncellus, all three sources agree that the 14th Dynasty had seventy-six kings and their court was located in
Xois, now modern day Sakha, although they provide different numbers of years ruled. Africanus stated the dynasty reigned for 184 years, while the Armenian version of Eusebius states 484 years. Eusebius states the same as Africanus, but in another copy the same number as the Armenian version. The precise borders of the 14th Dynasty state are not known, due to the general scarcity of its monuments. In his study of the Second Intermediate Period, Kim Ryholt concludes that the territory directly controlled by the 14th Dynasty roughly consisted of the Nile Delta, with borders located near
Athribis in the western Delta and
Bubastis in the east. Most modern Egyptologists share the view that Avaris – rather than Xois – was the 14th Dynasty's seat of power. Contested rulers proposed by Ryholt as the first five rulers of the dynasty are commonly identified as being of Canaanite (Semitic) descent based on their names. His conclusions about their chronological position within the period are contested in Ben Tor's study. Other sources don't refer to the dynasty as foreign or Hyksos and they were not referred to as "rulers of foreign lands" or "shepherd kings" in kings lists. The contested rulers (with the translation of their nomens) are: •
Yakbim Sekhaenre ("Yakbim" means "
(the goddess) Aya is a rock") •
Ya'ammu Nubwoserre ("Ya'ammu" means "
where is the uncle?") •
Qareh Khawoserre ("Qareh" means "
the bald one") •
'Ammu Aahotepre ("'Ammu" could mean "
the Asiatic") •
Sheshi Maaibre ("Sheshi" is a Semitic name) The most attested, non-contested ruler of the dynasty,
Nehesy Aasehre, left his name on two monuments at
Avaris. His name means "the
Nubian". According to Ryholt, he was the son and direct successor of the pharaoh
Sheshi with a
Nubian Queen named
Tati. Pharaoh
Kamose is known to have referred to
Apophis, one of the kings of the dynasty, as "Chieftain of Retjenu (i.e.
Caanan)". The kings of the Fifteenth Dynasty formed "the second Asiatic Kingdom in the Delta", covering an area which may have included Canaan itself, although the archaeological record is sparse. The dynasty probably lasted for a period of about 108 years. The first king,
Salitis, also 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. The
Turin King list indicates that there were six Hyksos kings, with an obscure
Khamudi listed as the final king of the 15th Dynasty: The 15th Dynasty of Egypt ruled from
Avaris but did not control the entire land, leaving some of northern Upper Egypt under the control of both the Abydos Dynasty and the early 16th Dynasty. The 16th Dynasty was ruled not by the Hyksos themselves, but the
Thebans. A recent Strontium isotope analysis also dismissed the invasion model in favor of a migration one. Contrary to the model of a foreign invasion, the study didn't find more males moving into the region, but instead found a sex bias towards females, with a high proportion (77%) being non-locals.
Abydos Dynasty 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. The Abydos Dynasty stayed rather small with rulership over just Abydos or Thinis. Since the dynasty was contemporaneous with the 16th Dynasty, the territory under Abydene control could not have extended farther than
Hu, 50 km south of Abydos. While most likely rulers based in Thebes itself, some may have been local rulers from other important Upper Egyptian towns, including
Abydos,
El Kab and
Edfu. Not listed in the Turin canon (after Ryholt) is
Wepwawetemsaf, who left a
stele at Abydos and was likely a local kinglet of the
Abydos Dynasty. Others, such as Helck, Vandersleyen, Bennett combine some of these rulers with the
Seventeenth Dynasty of Egypt. The list of rulers is given here as per
Kim Ryholt and is supposedly in chronological order: 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. Famine, which had plagued Upper Egypt during the late 13th Dynasty and the 14th Dynasty, also blighted the 16th Dynasty, most evidently during and after the reign of
Neferhotep III. 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. Sometime around 1580 BC, the 16th Dynasty collapsed after being conquered by King
Khyan of the Hyksos 15th Dynasty.
17th Dynasty The 17th Dynasty (c.1571-1540 BC) was established by the Thebans quickly after the fall of the 16th. The details of the overthrow of the Hyksos in Thebes are unclear. == Art and culture ==