Ahmose Drives the Hyksos Out of Egypt

Ahmose I inherited the Theban throne as a young boy, following decades of regional conflict against the Hyksos dynasties of Lower Egypt. His father, Seqenenre Tao, had died violently in the struggle, and his predecessor Kamose had launched aggressive raids toward the Hyksos stronghold of Avaris before his own brief reign ended. During Ahmose's youth, his mother, Queen Ahhotep, acted as regent and maintained Theban authority, keeping the rival northern court confined largely to the Nile Delta until Ahmose came of age.

Ahmose's campaign to conquer Lower Egypt unfolds across fragmentary ancient records, particularly notes preserved on the Rhind Mathematical Papyrus. His force moved north to capture Heliopolis and then seized the eastern border fortress of Tjaru along the Horus Road, effectively severing overland communication between the Hyksos capital and southwest Asia. Blockaded from its traditional supply lines in Canaan, Avaris became vulnerable. Tomb inscriptions of an officer named Ahmose, son of Ebana, describe repeated fighting around the capital, including battles on the water, before the city was finally plundered, after which Egyptian forces pursued their opponents across the border and besieged the stronghold of Sharuhen for three years.