Editing Hyksos (section)

===Early contacts between Egypt and the Levant===
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| header = ''Procession of the Aamu''
| image1 = Procession of the Aamu, Tomb of Khnumhotep II (composite).jpg
| image2 = Drawing of the procession of the Aamu group tomb of Khnumhotep II at Beni Hassan.jpg
| footer = A group of West Asiatic foreigners, possibly [[Canaan]]ites, labelled as ''[[Aamu]]'' ({{lang|egy|ꜥꜣmw|italics=yes}}), including the leading man with a [[Nubian ibex]] labelled as ''Abisha the Hyksos'' ('''<big><big>𓋾𓈎𓈉</big></big>''' ḥqꜣ-ḫꜣsw, ''Heqa-kasut'' for "Hyksos"). Tomb of [[12th dynasty|12th-dynasty]] official [[Khnumhotep II]], at [[Beni Hasan]] (c. 1890 BC).{{sfn|Van de Mieroop|2011|p=131}}{{sfn|Bard|2015|p=188}}{{sfn|Kamrin|2009|p=25}}{{sfn|Curry|2018}}
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Historical records suggest that Semitic people and Egyptians had contacts at all periods of Egypt's history.{{sfn|Bright|2000|p=97}} The [[MacGregor plaque]], an early Egyptian tablet dating to 3000 BC records "The first occasion of striking the East", with the picture of Pharaoh [[Den (pharaoh)|Den]] smiting a Western Asiatic enemy.{{sfn|Russmann|James|2001|pp=67–68}}

During the reign of [[Senusret II]], c. 1890 BC, [[:File:Procession_of_the_Aamu,_Tomb_of_Khnumhotep_II_(composite).jpg|parties of Western Asiatic foreigners visiting the Pharaoh with gifts]] are recorded, as in the tomb paintings of [[12th dynasty|12th-dynasty]] official [[Khnumhotep II]]. These foreigners, possibly [[Canaan]]ites or [[nomads]], are labelled as ''[[Aamu]]'' ({{lang|egy|ꜥꜣmw|italics=yes}}), including the leading man with a [[Nubian ibex]] labelled as ''Abisha the Hyksos'' ('''𓋾𓈎𓈉''' ḥqꜣ-ḫꜣsw, ''Heqa-kasut'' for "Hyksos"), the first known instance of the name "Hyksos".{{sfn|Van de Mieroop|2011|p=131}}{{sfn|Bard|2015|p=188}}{{sfn|Kamrin|2009|p=25}}{{sfn|Curry|2018}}
 
Soon after, the [[Sebek-khu Stele]], dated to the reign of [[Senusret III]] (reign: 1878–1839 BC), records the earliest known Egyptian military campaign in the Levant. The text reads "His Majesty proceeded northward to overthrow the Asiatics. His Majesty reached a foreign country of which the name was Sekmem (...) Then Sekmem fell, together with the wretched [[Retenu]]", where Sekmem (s-k-m-m) is thought to be [[Shechem]] and "Retenu" or "[[Retjenu]]" are associated with ancient [[Syria]].{{sfn|Pritchard|2016|p=230}}{{sfn|Steiner|Killebrew|2014|p=73}}