Political Situation in Egypt During the Second Intermediate Period c1800-1550 BC - Tapa dura

The Second Intermediate Period designates the 250 year period (18001550 BC) which separates the two glorious periods of the Middle Kingdom and the New Kingdom. During the 19th century BC, an invasion by Caanite tribes into the Delta took place. Around 1800 BC these people proclaimed their own king and the Delta thus became independent from the rest of Egypt. Egypt remained split between the Canaanitic rulers in North and the native Egyptian Kings in the South for the rest of the Second Intermediate Period. The division of Egypt brought about an economic decline, and the entire period is characterized by a lack of royal monuments. This circumstance has greatly hampered any attempts to establish a chronology of the period, and as a consequence it has been very difficult to date many sources which are relevant for the social and political situation of the period. The Second Intermediate Period has therefore remained one of the most obscure periods of Egypt's ancient history. The dissertation is a new attempt to establish a chronology for the Second Intermediate Period and define the different kingdoms, their territories and political relations. The study consists of four main chapters, three appendixes, a catalogue of sources, bibliography and indices. Included is a catalogue of all the historical sources, about 1500, known to certify the names of the Egyptian kings of the Second Intermediate Period. Each source is described in terms of type, origin and present location, followed by bibliographical references.

This study is an attempt to establish a chronology for the Second Intermediate Period (the 250 years prior to 1800-1550 BC), and define the different kingdoms which then existed. The Second Intermediate Period separates the two glorious periods of the Middle Kingdom and the New Kingdom. During the 19th century BC, an invasion by Canaanite tribes into the Egyptian Delta took place. Around 1800 BC, these people proclaimed their own king and the Delta thus became independent from the rest of Egypt. Egypt remained split between Canaanite kings in the north and native Egyptian kings in the south for the remainder of the Second Intermediate Period.The division of Egypt brought about an economic decline, and the entire period is characterized by a lack of royal monuments. This circumstance has greatly hampered attempts to establish a chronology of the period and, as a consequence, it has been very difficult to date many sources which are relevant for the social and political situation of the period. The Second Intermediate Period has, therefore, remained one of the most obscure periods of Egypt's ancient history.The first chapter discusses the primary sources for the chronology of the period. It includes a revised restoration and a comprehensive source evaluation of the famous Turin King-list, a papyrus from the New Kingdom (1550-1100 BC), which contains the only complete king-list from Pharaonic Egypt. The second chapter, the individual dynasties/kingdoms of the period are systematically defined according to their kings, geographical and chronological extent. The fourth and final chapter contains an historical outline of the political situation during the Second Intermediate Period, based on the conclusions in the study.Appended to the work is a catalog of all the sources, approximately 1500, known to contain the names of the Egyptian kings of the period. Each source is briefly described in terms of type, origin and present location, followed by bibliographical references. This catalog, which also includes some unpublished material, is intended to facilitate further research into the period.