(ORDO NEWS) — It is believed that at a certain point in the history of ancient Egypt, the Hykos people seized power.
For a long time, historians believed that these were aggressors who were able to overthrow the pharaohs. However, one study suggests that these may have been local peaceful migrants.
The Hyksos were a foreign dynasty that ruled parts of Egypt between approximately 1638-1530 BC. This is the first time that people of foreign origin ruled Egypt.
A common theory is that the Hyksos were invaders from a distant land, but a recent study published in 2020 cast doubt on this idea. Archaeological evidence does link the Hyksos culture to a Middle Eastern origin, but exactly how they came to power remains unclear.
In this study, Chris Stantis of Bournemouth University and colleagues collected enamel samples from the teeth of 75 people buried in the ancient Hyksos capital of Tell el-Dabaa (Avaris).
By comparing the ratio of strontium isotopes in the teeth with environmental isotope signatures from Egypt and other countries, the scientists assessed the geographic origins of the people who lived in this city. They found that most of the population was most likely born somewhere far away and are migrant settlers.
These results suggest that the Hyksos could not have been external invaders. They were probably a specific group of migrants who eventually rose to power after living in Egypt for many generations.
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