The Hyksos invaded the Nile Delta of Egypt and ruled it from 1650 to 1550 B. C. Their origin is uncertain, but archaeologists hypothesize that they were Canaatites. In support of this hypothesis, the archaeologists point out that excavations of Avaris, the Hyksos capital in Egypt, have uncovered large numbers of artifacts virtually identical to artifacts produced in Ashkelon, 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 ? ['Whether Avaris was the nearest Hyksos city in Egypt to Canaan', 'Whether Ashkelon after 1550 B. C. continued to produce artifacts similar to those found at Avaris', 'Whether any artifacts produced by the Hyksos after 1550 B. C. have been found in Egypt', 'Whether artifacts from Ashkelon were widely traded to non-Canaanite cities']