THE HYKSOS CIVILIZATION: CULTURAL INTEGRATION, BIOARCHAEOLOGICAL ANALYSES, AND STRUCTURAL LEGACY IN THE SECOND INTERMEDIATE PERIOD

This scientific article is dedicated to exploring the true essence of the Hyksos civilization, which ruled the Nile Delta during the Second Intermediate Period of Ancient Egyptian history (c. 1650–1550 BCE). The traditional 'brutal military invasion' hypothesis, which has long dominated historiography, is analyzed as a product of the xenophobic rhetoric of ancient authors and the propaganda aimed at legitimizing the power of subsequent dynasties. Extensive archaeological excavations conducted over many years at the capital city of Tell el-Dab'a (Avaris) and strontium isotopic analyses of 75 human tooth enamels (87Sr/86Sr) published in the PLOS ONE scientific journal biologically and materially prove that the influx of immigrants was the result of centuries of peaceful and systematic migration as well as an internal exchange of elites. The article deeply analyzes the structural impact of the Hyksos on the formation of Egyptian culture, religious syncretism (the gods Baal and Seth), international trade networks, the military revolution (chariots and the composite bow), and the system of transnational diplomacy in the New Kingdom (the Amarna Letters) using academic footnotes and expanded conclusions.