What factors led to Egypt losing its isolationist perspective in the Near East?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

ANSWER:
Egypt's entry into the Second Intermediate Period was caused by decentralization and squabbling, which left it vulnerable to attack by the Hyksos, who mounted an offensive that succeeded largely because of the element of surprise and their military advantage of horses, chariots, and composite bows. The period of domination by the Hyksos is recorded as "rule by foreign princes" and ultimately gave way to the Middle Kingdom in the mid-1500s B.C.E., as Kamose and then Ahmose successfully defeated the Hyksos and drove them out of Egypt. Subsequently, Egypt sought to regain the territory it had lost under the Hyksos and eventually conquered as far north as the Levant near Syria and south into Nubia. This imperial expansion required a significant amount of money and thus the conquest of areas rich in ebony, gold, and other materials desirable for trade. In turn, these conquests led the Egyptians to come into regular contact with trading groups in the Near East; in time, this trade included slave trade and led to the assimilation of Hebrew slaves. However, internal conflict in New Kingdom Egypt, particularly under Amenhotep IV (Akhenaton) and his attempt to instill monotheism, brought Egypt into chaos and left it vulnerable again to the attacks of various outsiders, including the unidentified "Sea Peoples" as well as the Assyrians.