News in Brief Anthropology

Foreigners may have conquered ancient Egypt without invading it

An analysis of teeth suggests the Hyksos dynasty arose from outsiders marrying into power

Hyksos palace ruins

FOREIGN RULE  An analysis of teeth suggests that ancient Egypt’s Hyksos dynasty, represented here by palace remnants, gained power via an influx of immigrant women who married into royalty, not a military invasion.

Bietak ©ÖAI/OREA

By Bruce Bower

- More than 2 years ago

CLEVELAND — A mysterious foreign dynasty that ruled ancient Egypt for about a century gained power not by force, as often thought, but by marrying into royalty, new evidence suggests.