Salitis

Salitis was the founding ruler of the Fifteenth Dynasty, reigning over northern Egypt from approximately 1650 BC to 1635 BC. Chronological placements for this period vary by about thirty years. Originating from the Levant, he established the political dominance of the rulers historically known as the Hyksos.

Prior to his accession, Egypt had fragmented into weak local kingdoms in the Delta and Upper Egypt. Salitis seized control of Lower Egypt and established his primary residence and military stronghold at Avaris in the eastern Delta. Under his governance, the Hyksos reorganized administrative systems while adopting Egyptian royal titles, ruling concurrently with the native Theban dynasties in the south.

Scholars know of Salitis primarily through later historical traditions preserved by the historian Manetho and through excavations at Avaris, modern Tell el-Dab'a. Contemporary monuments explicitly identifying him remain elusive, and his tomb is unrecorded.

Monuments

• Avaris

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