Babylonian seal found in Egypt confirms contact between the Babylonians and the Hyksos

Austrian archaeologists have found a Babylonian seal in Egypt that confirms contact between the Babylonians and the Hyksos during the second millennium B.C.

Irene Forstner-Müller, the head of the Austrian Archaeological Institute’s (ÖAI) branch office in Cairo, said today (Thurs) the find had occurred at the site of the ancient town of Avaris near what is today the city of Tell el-Dab’a in the eastern Nile delta.

The Hyksos conquered Egypt and reigned there from 1640 to 1530 B.C.

She said a recently-discovered cuneiform tablet had led archaeologists to suspect there had been contact between the Babylonians and the Hyksos.

The Hyksos were a Semitic people that ruled over Egypt during the second intermediate period. (source) Egypt by this point had fallen into a disorganized chaos, with incursions from several peoples (from Sacred-texts.com):

Egypt was thoroughly disorganized and unable to resist its enemies. These were ever watchful for an opportunity to strike. The Nubians had already achieved some success, although they were ultimately expelled by the Thebans; the Libyans must have been active in the north, while the Asiatics were pouring over the Delta frontier and possessing themselves of great tracts of territory. Then came the Hyksos invaders, regarding whose identity much controversy has been waged. They were evidently no disorganized rabble, and there are indications that under their sway Egypt became, for an uncertain period, a part of a great empire of which we, as yet, know very little.

Josephus, the patriotic Jewish historian, who believed that the Hyksos were "the children of Israel", quoted Manetho as saying that "they were a people of ignoble race who had confidence to invade our country, which they subdued easily without having to fight a battle. They set our towns on fire; they destroyed the temples of the gods, and caused the people to suffer every kind of barbarity. During the entire period of their dynasty they waged war against the people of Egypt, desiring to exterminate the whole race. . . . The foreigners were called Hyksos, which signifies 'Shepherd Kings'."

It was also during the Hyksos period the "children of Israel" appear to have settled in Egypt. A number of authors have written the Hyksos were none other than the descendants of the Sumerians, and they "were part of a general movement of people which led to the rise of the Kassite Dynasty in Babylon". (Schmidt, A self-verifying chronological history of ancient Egypt: from the foundation of the kingdom to the beginning of the Persian dynasty, pg 546). (The idea the Kassites might be descended from Sumer is a highly contentious theory since the Kassites have previously been thought of as an invading Indo-European people)

A number of Hyksos/Egyptian seals and contemporary Babylonian (under Kassite rule) seals bear the name of a god shared by both, "Sutech" (Hyksos) and "Uzi-Sutach" (Babylon).

The whole subject of the Hyksos and Kassites is a fascinating topic, in fact the Kassite invasion of Babylon marks the first appearance of an Indo-European peoples known as the Aryans who aided the Kassites.

Additional info on the Hyksos here: Who were The Hyksos?

Think you forgot to link to the news article,

Austrian archaeologists make Babylonian find in Egypt

Kudos (or perhaps a " Bump" ?) for this being the first recent thread I’ve found with any mention of the Hyksos . I shall subcribe and digg deeper through the archives.

Has anyone read "Ages in chaos" by I. Velikovsky ?
In this book, there is a large overvue of the Hyksos.
Are the Jews, the outspring of the Kyksos, or are the Palestinians (the Arabs), the outspring of the Hyksos ?
One name is here important : AMALEKITS.
(People of AMALEK).

Radar reveals extent of buried ancient Egypt city

Egypt was ruled for a century from 1664-1569 B.C. by the Hyksos, a warrior people from Asia, possibly Semitic in origin, whose summer capital was in the northern Delta area.

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