Aspects of Egyptian Foreign Policy in the 18th Dynasty in Western Asia and Nubia

One of the most fascinating periods of Near Eastern history is the liberation of Egypt from "Hyksos" control, the beginnings of Egypt's New Kingdom or Empire period, and the concomitant Middle Bronze-Late Bronze transition in Canaan. That a military presence of some kind played a central role in Egypt's relationship to the Levant is well recognized, but often over-emphasized to the exclusion of other aspects of Egypt's foreign policy. Furthermore, there is a tendency among scholars interested in Syro-Palestinian history and archaeology to forget that Egypt had a second major theater of operation in LB I, viz. Nubia. The purpose of this paper is to explore some of the oft forgotten aspects of Egypt's foreign policy in Western Asia, concentrating on the period 1550-1400 B.C., the reigns of Ahmose from Amenhotep II, the LB I period in Syria-Palestine. Additionally, the differences between Egypt's foreign policy with Nubia and the Levant will be explored and possible reasons for the contrasting models will be proposed.