2211 AM · ≈ 1550 BCE · world history
Expulsion of the Hyksos and the New Kingdom
Ahmose drives the Hyksos from the delta, and Egypt steps beyond its borders as a power for the first time.
The war begins in the south: the Theban kings gather their strength, take fortress after fortress, and at last lay siege to Avaris. Ahmose finishes the work and pursues the retreating enemy all the way to Canaan. Egypt comes out of this war transformed: with a standing army, a chariot corps, and the conviction that the frontier must be held far from the delta. The New Kingdom begins — the age of warrior pharaohs, of tombs in the Valley of the Kings and the temples of Karnak. For the next three hundred years Canaan is a sphere of Egyptian power, with garrisons and tribute.