Xois is located on a marshy island in the center of the Nile Delta of Egypt. It is 119 miles north of Egypt's capital, Cairo. The island that Xois is situated on was formed by the Sebennytic and Phatnitic branches of the Nile. Being located on an island made this ancient city a prime vantage point during battles. Egyptian Pharaoh Ramesses III, in the 8th year of his reign, used Xois when warring against Libya. The shores were lined with archers who rained arrows down on ships trying to make port on the island and Egypt won the battle.
The exact date that Xois was founded is unknown, but it is between 3414 B.C. - 3100 B.C. Xois served as the capital of the 14th Dynasty of Egypt from 1650 B.C. - 1550 B.C. The nobles of Xois founded a Dynasty there and ruled with the Hyksos Dynasty. The Egyptian historian Manetheo listed 76 Xoite kings in total. Seventy-two of the names he listed were confirmed using the Turin King List papyrus.
Xois was the center for worship of the Egyptian god Amun-Ra, who was considered king of all the Egyptian gods and the Egyptian equivalent of the Greek god Zeus. In Egyptian Amun-Ra means "the hidden one" or "the secret one," because Amun-Ra had no known physical form and instead was an unknown essence. Inhabitants of Xois built and maintained massive temples to honor Amun-Ra and hosted worshipers from all over Egypt, Thebes and Nubia, who came to these temples to pay respect to the king of the gods.
Wine was a part of life in Egypt, not only socially but also through its use in religious ceremonies to honor the gods. Vineyards existed in Xois since before 3200 B.C., and they were known for producing the best wine in Egypt. The vineyards of Xois were owned by the temple of Amun-Ra in honor of the god. Also, the location of Xois in the Nile Delta allowed ships to easily access these vineyards and export the wine to other regions.
