Battles & Wars › Ancient world › New Kingdom Egypt: the warrior pharaohs
Ahmose I expels the Hyksos
c. 1550 BC· War· Middle East & Africa
Mostly agreedGood evidence; some details, dates or numbers uncertain.
Around 1550 BC the Theban king Ahmose I captured Avaris and ended the rule of the Hyksos, foreign kings of northern Egypt.
See it on the Battles & Wars map →What happened
The Hyksos, Egyptian for 'rulers of foreign lands', were a dynasty of Levantine origin who ruled the Nile Delta from Avaris for about a century. Theban kings in the south fought back: Seqenenre Tao died, probably in battle, and Kamose raided north. His successor Ahmose took Avaris, then besieged Sharuhen in southern Canaan. A soldier named Ahmose son of Ebana recorded these campaigns in his tomb. Ahmose reunited Egypt and began the New Kingdom.
Why it matters
The war turned Egypt from an inward-looking kingdom into an expansionist military power, set on keeping enemies far from the Nile by holding Canaan.
How we know
The tomb autobiography of Ahmose son of Ebana, Kamose's victory stelae, Manfred Bietak's excavations at Avaris (Tell el-Dab'a), and Seqenenre's mummy with battle wounds.
Still debated
Later Egyptian sources painted the Hyksos as brutal invaders; isotope studies of burials suggest they rose from immigrants already living in Egypt. Their role in bringing chariots is debated.
Connections (3)
▸Ahmose I expels the Hyksos founded New Kingdom Egypt: the warrior pharaohsWell documented
The connection
Ahmose's victory over the Hyksos reunited Egypt under a Theban king and is the traditional start of the New Kingdom. The war left Egypt with a standing army, battle-hardened commanders and a new aim: pushing its frontier into Canaan so no invader could reach the Nile again.
When and how
Avaris (Tell el-Dab'a) in the Nile Delta and Sharuhen in southern Canaan, about 1550 BC, under Ahmose I.
How we know
Egyptologists date the 18th Dynasty and the New Kingdom from Ahmose; his campaigns are recorded in a soldier's tomb and on Theban monuments.
Debates and open questions
The dates are uncertain by a few decades, and how quickly empire-building followed the war is debated.
▸Ahmose I expels the Hyksos taught Egypt to master the War chariotDebated
The connection
Horse-drawn chariots appear in Egypt in the Hyksos era, and the Theban kings who fought the Hyksos used them; by the New Kingdom chariot squadrons were Egypt's elite arm. Tradition says Egypt learned chariotry from the Hyksos; it may instead have come through wider Near Eastern contact.
When and how
Egypt, about 1650–1500 BC; the tomb of Ahmose son of Ebana gives the first Egyptian written mention of a chariot, in Ahmose's war.
How sure are we?
Horse burials at Avaris and early texts and art are suggestive, but direct proof of who brought chariots to Egypt is lacking.
Debates and open questions
Did the Hyksos introduce the chariot, or did Egypt adopt it later through trade and diplomacy? Scholars disagree.
▸Ahmose I expels the Hyksos made Egypt adopt the Composite bowDebated
The connection
The composite bow seems to arrive in Egypt during the Hyksos period, along with the chariot. After Ahmose's war, New Kingdom chariot archers made it their main weapon. Tradition credits the Hyksos with bringing it; it may instead have arrived gradually through Near Eastern trade and mercenaries.
When and how
Egypt, about 1650–1500 BC; well established in the 18th Dynasty.
How sure are we?
Bows in New Kingdom tombs, including Tutankhamun's, and reliefs of chariot archers; earlier Egyptian bows were simple wooden ones.
Debates and open questions
Exactly when, and through whom, Egypt adopted the composite bow is debated; the Hyksos may get credit they do not deserve.