For 100 years the Pharaohs had ruled the southern lands of Kemet from their base in Thebes, while having to pay taxes to hated Aamu (Asiatics or Hyksos) who ruled the middle and northern area of the land. During the reign of Seqenenre Tao II however, thing came to head when the overlord and leader of the Aamu, Apepi I, warned him against fermenting a rebellion. Little is known of what happened next, but from the number of wounds found on Seqenenre’s mummified body, particularly to his skull, he appears to have died violently in battle. If so there is no record of him having been in battle against Apepi, but that isn’t so surprising, since the Pharaohs only recorded victory and not defeat.
His son Kamose became Pharaoh and he took up the fight against the oppressors in the north. Sailing down river he attacked and overcame Teti a collaborator to the Aamu, who held the garrison of Nefrusi. The city was sacked, many were killed, the rest where stripped of their possessions and many of them taken as slaves. Kamose and his army then swept northwards like a whirlwind driving the Aamu before him into the delta.
On the way his men captured a courier who carried a message from Apepi to the Nubian ruler of Kush, requesting that he attack Kamose from the rear and trap him between the two forces. To prevent such an attack taking place Kamose sent a detachment of his troop to the western desert, where they took control of the desert route that ran from the south of the country to the north, by occupying the Barhriya Oasis, a strong point that controlled the road.
After Giving Apepi a bloody nose and destroying many of the cities belonging to his supporters, no more is known of Kamose and his battles. But since he only reigned for three year or so, maybe he fought one last battle and lost. Whatever happened it is known that Aamu with Apepi at its head still retained Avaris as their capital city in the North.
It is believed that the next Pharaoh in Thebes, Ahmose I, was the brother of Kamose. Ahmose came to the throne as a young boy and it was many years before he led the armies of Kemet north. The strange thing is that while Ahmose was growing up and still weak Apepi never once attacked Thebes. Maybe Kamose hadn’t just given him a bloody nose; maybe he had totally decimated his army.
When Ahmose was old enough he led his army north and after five battle fought against the Aamu around Avaris in the delta, laid siege to the city. Leaving his commanders in charge of the siege, he took part of army south to Thebes, where he put down a rebellion. On his return to Avaris, Ahmose found that his commanders had allowed the Aamu to leave Kemet in exchange for giving up the city. Not satisfied with this Ahmose set off across the desert in pursuit of them. He followed them all the way to southern Palestine where the Aamu took shelter in Sharuhen. After suffering a siege for three years the Aamu fled to Syria.
Having seen off the Aamu, Ahmose turned south and drove the Nubians out of Kush. He drove them back beyond the Second Cataract of the Nile and appointed Djehuty as Viceroy to control the area. While Ahmose was in Kush a new rebellion led by Teti-en an ally of the Aamu broke out in the north. This rebellion however was quashed by Ahhotpe, Ahmose’s mother and he awarded her the gold flies, an award for valour
Ahmose returned to Kush once more to put down a rebellion, and again returned to Palestine and may have even reached as far the Euphrates. Apart from details of his family members and a few building projects, there is little to add to the story of Ahmose. But then little needs to be added; he was after all, the man who finally rid the rich black lands of the Nile of those foreign devils the Aamu.
Copyright Fred Watson 2008
