I was trying to find if there was a true analogue to the spelling of Hyksos in Greek without a ξ. Most instances of words with -κσ- in Classical and Hellenistic Greek were compounds with the prefix εκ-. Otherwise, it seems it's rare, but not impossible. You also see it in other foreign names like Ἀκσάφ.
Either way, these examples provide two rules for choosing -κσ- over ξ for a sigma following a kappa (foreign loanword or prefixed with εκ-), but perhaps there are more?
So, is the spelling of Hyksos as Ὑκσώς due to because it's a transcription of another language? Or is it because Josephus/Manetho conceives of it as a word consisting of two elements like εκ- compounds? And, ignoring archaic spellings or epichoric differences, are there other acceptable reasons why words might have -κσ- instead of -ξ- in Classical or Hellenistic Greek?
