Egypt and Its Neighbours
Examine Egypt's relationships with neighbouring civilisations: trade networks reaching Nubia, the Levant, and Punt; the Hyksos invasion and the introduction of the chariot; and the New Kingdom empire and its conflict with the Hittites, culminating in the Battle of Kadesh and the world's earliest surviving peace treaty — understanding Egypt not as isolated but as part of a connected ancient world
What a learner can do afterwards
- Describes the trade relationship with Nubia and Punt, naming at least two goods exchanged in each direction
- Explains how the Hyksos invasion introduced new military technologies to Egypt, including the horse-drawn war chariot
- Describes the Battle of Kadesh (Ramesses II vs. the Hittites) and the resulting Egypto-Hittite peace treaty as a landmark in diplomatic history
The lesson
Egypt did not grow up alone in the desert. It bought and sold goods with lands far to the south, fought wars to the east, and eventually signed a peace deal with a rival empire. Its neighbours shaped how Egypt lived, fought, and traded.
To the south lay Nubia, and further still, the land of Punt. Egyptian traders travelled down the Nile and across the Red Sea to reach them. From Nubia came gold, ivory, and ebony wood. From Punt came incense and myrrh. In return, Egypt sent grain, linen cloth, and finished tools.
Around 1650 BCE, a group called the Hyksos moved into northern Egypt and ruled it for over a hundred years. They rode into battle in horse-drawn chariots, a weapon Egypt had never used before. When Egyptian kings finally drove the Hyksos out, they kept the chariot and used it to build their own empire.
A single battle does not always end a rivalry. After the Battle of Kadesh, Egypt and the Hittites fought to a standstill, then wrote it down: the earliest known peace treaty between two nations.
Egypt traded with Nubia and Punt, adopted the chariot from the Hyksos, and signed a landmark peace treaty with the Hittites after Kadesh.
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