Fifteenth Dynasty of Egypt | |||||||||||||||
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| 1650 BC–c. 1550 BC | |||||||||||||||
 Egypt during the Fifteenth Dynasty | |||||||||||||||
| Capital | Avaris | ||||||||||||||
| Common languages | Egyptian language | ||||||||||||||
| Religion | ancient Egyptian religion | ||||||||||||||
| Government | Absolute monarchy | ||||||||||||||
| Historical era | Second Intermediate Period of Egypt | ||||||||||||||
• Established | 1650 BC | ||||||||||||||
• Disestablished | c. 1550 BC | ||||||||||||||
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TheFifteenth Dynasty was a foreign dynasty ofancient Egypt. It was founded bySalitis, aHyksos from West Asia whose people had invaded the country and conqueredLower Egypt.[1] The 15th, 16th, and 17th Dynasties of ancient Egypt are often combined under the group title,Second Intermediate Period. The 15th Dynasty dates approximately from 1650 to 1550 BC.[2][3]
The kings of the Fifteenth Dynasty are said to have beenCanaanite.[4] PharaohKamose is known to have referred toApophis, one of the kings of the dynasty, as "Chieftain of Retjenu (i.e.Caanan)".[5][6] 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.[7][8] The dynasty probably lasted for a period of about 108 years.[9][10]
The first king, also described as aHyksos (ḥḳꜣw-ḫꜣswt, a "shepherd" according toAfricanus), led his people into an occupation of the Nile Delta area and settled his capital atAvaris. These events put an end to theFourteenth Dynasty of Egypt.[4] There is no evidence of conflict at that time however, and the settling of the Canaanite populations could have occurred rather peacefully in the power vacuum left by the disintegration of the Fourteenth Dynasty.[6] Subsequent relations with Egyptian polities, however, were marked with violent conflict.[11]
The people ofAvaris in theNile Delta were called"Aamu" by the Egyptians, which was also the term used to designate the inhabitants of Syria and the Levant, or the enemies ofRamses II at thebattle of Kadesh. This has generally been translated as "Western Asiatics" by Egyptologists.[12]
The termHyksos was traditionally used to designate foreign chieftains, and more specifically "rulers of the Asiatics", already before the Fifteenth Dynasty and also after it.[12][13] It was not an official title of the rulers of the Fifteenth dynasty, and is never encountered together with royal titulature, except in one rare instance in an inscription from Tell el-Dab'a mentioning an unknown king and describing him as a Hyksos.[13] "Hyksos" was rather a generic term which is encountered separately from royal titulature, and in regnal lists after the end of the Fifteenth Dynasty itself.[13][14] In another instance,Khyan is thought to have used the title "Hyksos" early in his reign, and then abandoned it for traditional Egyptian titulature when he invaded the whole of Egypt.[13] Only the first four kings of the Fifteenth Dynasty are known to have used the naming "Hyksos", and after that royal titulature becomes purely Egyptian.[14]
Regular conflicts continued with the Egyptian dynasties to the south, theSixteenth Dynasty, theAbydos Dynasty and theSeventeenth Dynasty, with short intervals of peace during which there were some relations withNubia.[4] Soon after the occupation of theNile Delta, where it replaced the Fourteenth Dynasty, the Fifteenth Dynasty expanded to occupyMemphis, leading to the fall of theThirteenth Dynasty at Memphis. As Egyptian political power disintegrated at Memphis, new dynasties arose in the south, theAbydos Dynasty and the Sixteenth Dynasty atThebes.[15]
The Fifteenth Dynasty at one point, after a period of about 20 years since its foundation, extended its rule as far south asThebes, entering into conflict with PharaohNeferhotep III.[4][15] The whole of Egypt was conquered during the reign ofKhayan.[13] The Abydos Dynasty also vanished on the occasion of these southern conquests.[15] Numerous monuments from conquered areas were brought north to the capital ofAvaris, and many were marked with additional inscriptions, especially byApophis.[16] All of this is contested however. For Alexander Ilin-Tomich, the territory directly ruled by the Hyksos kings of Avaris was likely confined to the eastern Delta and the nature and extent of their control over Middle Egypt remains unclear.[17]
The Fifteenth Dynasty eventually ended with the conquest of Avaris by the PharaohAhmose I.[4]
The trading relations of the Fifteenth Dynasty were mainly withCanaan andCyprus.[4][18][19] Trade with Canaan is said to have been "intensive", especially with many imports of Canaanite wares, and may have reflected the Canaanite origins of the dynasty.[19] According to theKamose stelae, the Hyksos imported "charriots and horses, ships, timber, gold,lapis lazuli, silver,turquoise, bronze, axes without number, oil, incense, fat and honey".[18] The Fifteenth Dynasty also exported large quantities of material looted from southern Egypt, especially Egyptian sculptures, to the areas of Canaan andSyria. These transfers of Egyptian artifacts to the Near East may especially be attributed to kingApophis.[19] Trade relations withCyprus were also very important.[20]
The relation of the Fifteenth Dynasty to Egyptian religious traditions was ambiguous, and they are said by commentators from theEighteenth Dynasty that "they ruled without ackowledgingRe".[14] The dynasty is recorded as having destroyed Egyptian monuments and removed Egyptian statuary for booty, as well as plundering royal tombs,Ahmose complaining that "pyramids have been torn down".[21]
Known rulers of the 15th Dynasty are as follows:[22]
| Name | Image | Dates and comments |
|---|---|---|
| Salitis | Mentioned byManetho as first king of the dynasty; currently unidentified with any known archaeologically attested person. Ruled for 19 years according to Manetho, as quoted byJosephus. | |
| Semqen |  | Mentioned on the Turin king list. According to Ryholt, he was an early Hyksos ruler, possibly the first king of the dynasty;[22] von Beckerath assigns him to the 16th dynasty.[23] |
| Aperanat |  | Mentioned on the Turin king list. According to Ryholt, he was an early Hyksos ruler, possibly the second king of the dynasty;[22] von Beckerath assigns him to the 16th dynasty.[23] |
| Khyan |  | Ruled 10+ years.[9] |
| Yanassi |  | Khyan's eldest son, possibly at the origin of the mention of a king Iannas in Manetho'sAegyptiaca |
| Sakir-Har | Named as an Hyksos king on a doorjamb found atAvaris. Regnal order uncertain. | |
| Apophis |  | c. 1590?–1550 BC Ruled 40+ years.[9] |
| Khamudi |  | c. 1550–1540 BC |
The 15th Dynasty ofEgypt was the firstHyksos dynasty, ruling fromAvaris, without control of the entire land. The Hyksos preferred to stay in northern Egypt since they infiltrated from the north-east. The names and order of kings are uncertain. TheTurin King list indicates that there were six Hyksos kings, with an obscure Khamudi listed as the final king of the 15th Dynasty.
Some scholars argue there were two Apophis kings named Apepi, but this is primarily because there are two knownprenomens for this king: Awoserre and Aqenenre. However, the Danish EgyptologistKim Ryholt maintains in his study of theSecond Intermediate Period that these prenomens all refer to one man: Apepi I, who ruled Egypt for 40+X years.[24] This is also supported by this king's employment of a third prenomen during his reign: Nebkhepeshre.[25] Apophis likely employed different prenomens over the course of several periods of his reign. This scenario is not without precedent or parallel, since several kings, includingMentuhotep II, the famousRamesses II, andSeti II, are known to have used two different prenomens during their reigns.
Media related to15th dynasty of Egypt at Wikimedia Commons| Preceded by | Dynasty of Egypt 1650−1550 BC | Succeeded by |
