The Asiatic Hyksos imposed their might upon Egypt in the mid-seventeenth century BC and dominated the native inhabitants for 108 years, according to the Turin King List. They likely feared an Israelite confederacy with the Egyptians. Thus, the Hyksos placed the Israelites in bondage, forcing the slaves to construct major commercial centers at Pithom and Rameses, later names by which these places became known.
