This period begins with the waning power of the Memphite kings during the 13th Dynasty. Asiatic immigrants who had been settling in Egypt for some time began to rise to power in the eastern Delta and began pacifying their neighboring regions. These Asiatics came to be known as the Hyksos. The regions either allied themselves to the Hyksos or were besieged by them.
The Hyksos made their way down the Nile and took Memphis about 1600 BCE(BC) which marked the end of the 13th Dynasty. It is unclear how much of Egypt the Hyksos controlled, but some experts believe they may have controlled the entire country for awhile.
The Hyksos revitalized the dying culture of the Egyptians, while keeping major institutions alive. Trade with the Near East brought new ideas and technologies to the Egyptian people. The art of bronze working made for better weapons for foot soldiers. The chariot improved the effectiveness of the army while scale armor protected soldiers in battle. Other weapons like the composite bow and new shapes of scimitar were introduced.
Improvements to society included a new potter's wheel, the vertical loom and new musical instruments. Some of the musical instruments included the lyre, the long-necked lute, the oboe and the tambourine. Besides these things, the Hyksos introduced new vegetable and fruit crops and humped-backed cattle called zebu.
Sometime around 1570 BCE(BC), the Hyksos King, Apophis, sent the ruler of Thebes, Seqenenre, a message. The message was, in essence, an insult. This set off a war between the Thebans and Hyksos which would end some years later when Kamose, the Theban king, cornered the Hyksos in Avaris. The Thebans then drove the Hyksos from Egypt and chased them into Palestine. This, too, marked the beginning of the New Kingdom and the 18th Dynasty as well.
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