The Hyksos invaded the Nile Delta of Egypt and ruled it from 1650 B.C. Their origin is uncertain, but archaeologists hypothesize that they were Canaanites. In support of this hypothesis, the archaeologists point out that excavations of Avans, the Hyksos capital in Egypt, have uncovered large numbers of artifacts virtually identical to artifacts produced in Ashkelon, and Ashkelon was a major city of Canaan at the time of the Hyksos' invasion.

In order to evaluate the force of the archaeologists' evidence, it would be most useful to determine which of the following ?