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was an important propellant in the rise of the military" (Anthony Spalinger)

In contrast to some of the material uncovered from Dynasties XIII to XV, historical reliefs, stelas and texts after the expulsion of the Hyksos are almost universally critical of their behaviour. Whereas prior archaeological finds suggest that the Hyksos did respect Egyptian culture and beliefs, and even adopted the Egyptian system of administration, post-Sixteenth Dynasty rulers appear to propagandize the ignoble elements of these foreign rulers, perhaps hoping to fan the flames of nationalism and thereby legitimize their kingship. Manetho's description is typical. He denounces the "invaders of obscure race" who "overpowered the rulers of the land" and "burned our cities ruthlessly, razed to the ground the temples of the gods, and treated all the natives with a cruel hostility".

But xenophobic sentiment against the Hyksos is problematic because at the time of the Hyksos dynasty, these so-called foreign rulers and their ancestors had been living in Egypt for 100 years. Having resided in Egypt for so long, they were essentially locals, and even their burial practices did not display marked differences. Yet "the foreignness of the Hyksos was evidently something which left a deep impression on some Egyptians". Accordingly, the Turin king-list distinguished the Hyksos dynasty by writing their names with a cartouche and by adding a special hieroglyphic that designated them as foreign rulers. Such nationalism served to reinforce the prevailing state ideology in the push to expel the Hyksos, and then subsequently, to maintain Phaoronic rule. This is made clear by the fact that there were pockets of Egyptians loyal to the Hyksos. They preferred paying tribute to the Hyksos rather than the Egyptian Pharaohs.

The impact of individual kings during the Hyksos period was far-reaching too. Ideological beliefs that first were practiced in the reign of Kamose during the SIP later manifested itself in the New Kingdom. For example, the second Kamose stela couples the god Amun with the Pharaoh, a practice that would later become a facet of the Egyptian nation. As Spalinger comments, "There was a growing symbiotic relationship between king and deity, which naturally was broadcast through the official theological dogma of the day".

It is a truism that wars lead to growth in government power, and the dynamics of the SIP do not disprove this finding. Nationalism helped buttress the increase in the size

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