Ryholt K.S.B. The political situation in Egypt during the Second Intermediate Period c. 1800-1550 BC

Copenhagen: The Carsten Niebuhr Institute of Near Eastern Studies, University of Copenhagen; Museum Tusculanum Press, 1997. — xiv, 463 p. — (CNI Publications 20).The study is divided into six parts. Part 1 presents an examination and evaluation of the two main sources used to establish an internal chronology for the Second Intermediate Period, the Turin King-list and the contemporary royal scarab seals. In Part 2, the individual dynasties of the Second Intermediate Period are defined. The definition centres upon which kings may be ascribed to the individual dynasties, and their territorial and chronological extent. The dynastic arrangement and the order of individual kings are based primarily on the Turin King-list, but where relevant contemporary sources are available, these are given priority. On the basis of the distribution of, and textual information gained from, objects inscribed with the names of the kings and officials belonging to the individual dynasties, an attempt is made to define the territorial extent of the separate dynasties, as well as their residences and royal necropolises. The significance of the location of the royal necropolis is that it usually seems to have been located near the royal residence and therefore gives a clue to the location of the latter. An attempt to establish the foreign relations of the individual dynasties is also made, but only in the most general terms. As noted by Kemp and Merrillees in their treatment of Minoan pottery in Egypt, the foreign relations of ancient civilizations are far easier to establish than to explain, and it would certainly require a study of its own to describe the nature of the relations in detail and what commodities were traded. The external chronology of the Second Intermediate Period is based on the dated astronomical observations available for the Middle Kingdom and the New Kingdom. The internal chronology is based primarily on the King-list and contemporary dated material. Part 3 contains a discussion of the background and family of the individual kings in order to detect patterns of royal succession and to provide a view of that political aspect of the period. In Part 4 a historical outline of the political situation in Egypt during the Second Intermediate Period is presented, based on the results arrived at in the preceding sections. Part 5 consists of four appendices which contain discussions of subjects that are essential for reference in Parts 1-2 but are too long to be included in footnotes and would disturb the line of argument if included in the main text. Appendices 1-2 deal with chronological matters; Appendix 3 with the existence of vassal kings; and Appendix 4 with the supposed king Tutimaios of Flavius Josephus (by Adam Bülow-Jacobsen). Part 6 contains a catalogue of all attestations of kings of the Second Intermediate Period known to the author, in order to facilitate future research.Перевод