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Follow Egypt from Hyksos rule at Avaris and the kingdom of Kush to the Theban wars of liberation under Seqenenre Tao and Kamose.

Use the timeline below to navigate through major events and milestones.

Second Intermediate Period · c. 1650–1550 BCE
The Hyksos Age

The Second Intermediate Period

From the Hyksos seizure of the Delta and the military revolution they brought — the chariot, the composite bow, and bronze weapons — through the rival Nubian kingdom of Kush at Kerma, to the Theban wars of liberation under Seqenenre Tao and Kamose on the eve of the New Kingdom around 1550 BCE. Slide across a century in which Egypt, divided and conquered, forged the weapons of its own resurgence.

1650 BC
Hyksos Period
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In the year of Our Lord

1650 BC

Hyksos Period
  • Political

    The Hyksos rule from Avaris

    Asiatic rulers establish the Fifteenth Dynasty of Hyksos in the eastern Delta, governing northern Egypt from their fortified capital at Avaris.

5 milestones
Full Chronicle

The Second Intermediate Period

From the Hyksos seizure of the Delta and the military revolution they brought — the chariot, the composite bow, and bronze weapons — through the rival Nubian kingdom of Kush at Kerma, to the Theban wars of liberation under Seqenenre Tao and Kamose on the eve of the New Kingdom around 1550 BCE. Slide across a century in which Egypt, divided and conquered, forged the weapons of its own resurgence.

  1. Hyksos Period

    • The Hyksos rule from Avaris

      Asiatic rulers establish the Fifteenth Dynasty of Hyksos in the eastern Delta, governing northern Egypt from their fortified capital at Avaris.

  2. Hyksos Period

    • A military revolution

      The Hyksos introduce the horse-drawn chariot, the composite bow, bronze weapons, and new fortification techniques that will transform Egyptian warfare.

  3. A Land Divided

    • The kingdom of Kush at Kerma

      To the south, the powerful Nubian kingdom of Kush, centred on Kerma, presses against Egypt's frontier, leaving the Theban kings squeezed between two rivals.

  4. Wars of Liberation

    • Seqenenre Tao takes up arms

      The Theban king Seqenenre Tao rebels against the Hyksos overlord Apophis and falls in battle, his mummy bearing terrible axe and spear wounds.

  5. Wars of Liberation

    • Kamose strikes at Avaris

      Seqenenre's successor Kamose campaigns boldly down the Nile against Apophis, his victories recorded on stelae set up at Karnak.