General Notes

ruled about 1600=1559


Apepy

Auserre
This ruler is well attested for and he was probably the one who had the longest reign of all Hyksos kings.
His personal name Apepy (Greek: Apopis) was obviously taken from the Egyptian god Apep and his throne name (seen within a cartouche in picture right) means - "Great and Powerful Like Re". He's believed to have been a well educated ruler who got into a war he was strongly opposed to. He probably triggered it himself by sending a provocative letter (now in British Museum) where he addresses the Egyptian king Tao II in Thebes with a complaint that was really odd.

Seal of Apepy
He wrote that he couldn't sleep at night because he was disturbed by the snoring and roaring of king Tao's hippopotami in Thebes 800 km to the south(!). Soon after this message king Tao is believed to have taken up arms against him and thereby the war of liberation was started.
It's quite possible that his power at this late state of his reign had been going over to others and the letter was a product of their will and not his own. Some scholars advocate that two rulers were named Apepy due to some names appearing (see cartouche at next king below) but it's possible that he had different forms of his name during his long reign. Apepi is mentioned in two papyri, a list from priests in Memphis and many pieces of architecture which give the names of his sisters Tani and Tcharydjet and daughter Harta. Manetho (by Flavius) gives him a good 36 year long reign and scholars of today up to 42 around 1600-1559 BC.