Xois

Xois (Greek: Ξόις, Strabo xvii. p, 802; Ptol. iv. 5. § 50; Ξόης, Steph. B. s. v.) was a town of great antiquity and considerable size. It was located nearly in the center of the Nile Delta in Egypt, and is identified as the ancient Egyptian city of Khasut (Khaset or Sakha).

History

Xois sat upon an island formed by the Sebennytic and Phatnitic branches of the Nile. It belonged to the Sebennytic Nome, and later was the capital of its own nome, the Xoite nome.

The 14th dynasty consisted, according to Manetho, of 76 Xoite kings. This dynasty immediately preceded that of the Hyksos during the Second Intermediate Period. It seems possible, therefore, that Xois, from its strong position among the marshes of the Nile Delta formed by the intersecting branches of the river, could have held out during the occupation of the Delta by the Hyksos, or at least compromised with the invaders by paying them tribute. This hypothesis however, is not shared by most egyptologists today who believe that the 14th dynasty was based in Avaris in the eastern delta.