The historians' history of the world in twenty-five volumes, volume 01 : $b Prolegomena; Egypt, Mesopotamia
History
The historians' history of the world in twenty-five volumes, volume 01 : $b Prolegomena; Egypt, Mesopotamia
World history
The length of the rule of the Hyksos is as unknown to us as the number
of their kings. Manetho makes two dynasties (Dynasties XV and XVI)
rule, which, according to Josephus, reigned 511 years altogether over
the whole of Egypt, whilst the tables of Africanus give 284 to the XVth
(an evident misquotation of Josephus 260) and 518 to the XVIth. For
the XVIIth Dynasty, according to Africanus, 43 Shepherds and 43 Theban
kings ruled for 151 years; and this is the era of the struggle for
freedom, which ended with the expulsion of the Hyksos. It is impossible
for these figures to be correct, but there is no means of getting at
the historical truth, even approximately. It can be said, however,
that according to the monuments there is no gap of five hundred or
more years between the end of the XIIIth Dynasty and the beginning of
the New Kingdom. The pedigrees of the nomarchs and nobles of El-Kab
(Eileithyia) give names after a few generations, which are undoubtedly
contemporaneous with the XIIIth and XIVth Dynasties.
The monuments of the first rulers of the New Kingdom in Thebes show
the closest connection with the more ancient Theban, and strikingly so
with those of the XIth Dynasty. There is, certainly between the time of
Amenemhat and Sebekhotep and the New Kingdom, no distinctive break in
culture and art similar to that between the Old Kingdom of Memphis and
the XIIth Dynasty.
Manetho’s figures have evidently to be very considerably reduced. Some
of the short-lived rulers of the Egyptian dynasties must be regarded
as contemporaneous with the Hyksos kings and connected directly with
the first rulers of the New Kingdom who undertook the struggle for
emancipation.
If we allow 150 years for the first kings of the XIII Dynasty,--and
dates are inevitable,--about four hundred years would be reckoned from
the end of the XIIth Dynasty to the expulsion of the Hyksos under
Aahmes. Moreover, we also know that a Hyksos king, Nub, reigned four
hundred years before Ramses II.[g]
It will be clear to the reader, from the account just given, that the
period of the XIIIth-XVIIth Dynasties is one of which we have very
little knowledge. Not only is the Turin papyrus here much broken, but
the intrusion of the Hyksos has greatly confused the knowledge we
have indirectly from Manetho through Josephus, Africanus, Eusebius,
and others. Petrie has made a careful study of the subject, and his
conclusions are, in brief, as follows:
1. The Hyksos were not contemporaneous with the 453 years of the
XIIIth Dynasty.
2. There is a period of about 100 years during the XIVth Egyptian
Dynasty during which the Hyksos gradually came into power, and
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