Egypt Middle Kingdom: A Captivating Journey Through a Golden Age

The Egypt Middle Kingdom (also known as the Reunification Period) was the period in the history of ancient Egypt that followed a period of political division known as the First Intermediate Period. The Egypt Middle Kingdom lasted from approximately 2040 to 1782 BC, extending from the reunification of Egypt under Mentuhotep II in the Eleventh Dynasty until the end of the Twelfth Dynasty.

The kings of the Eleventh ”dynasty ruled from Thebes, and the kings of the Twelfth Dynasty ruled from Lisht.

The concept of the Egypt Middle Kingdom as one of the Three Golden Ages was formulated in 1845 by the German Egyptologist Baron von Bunsen, and its definition evolved significantly during the 19th and 20th centuries. Some scholars also include the entire Thirteenth Dynasty in Egypt in this period, in which case the Middle Kingdom would end around 1650 BC, while others include it only until Mernefer Ra, i.e. around 1700 BC, the last king of this dynasty credited in Both Upper and Lower Egypt.

During the Middle Kingdom period, Osiris became the most important god in popular religion. The Egypt Middle Kingdom was followed by the Second Intermediate Period of Egypt, another period of partition that included foreign rule of Lower Egypt by the Hyksos in West Asia.

Egypt Middle Kingdom History 

 

The history of ancient Egypt is divided into several periods, starting from the early Predynastic Era until the invasion of Alexander the Great in 332 BC. Each period was characterized by a few dynasties, the first of which was founded by King Menes in the ancient era and ending with the Thirtieth Dynasty.

Egyptologists in the nineteenth century identified these periods in an effort to tell the story of the development of one of the great ancient societies.

In telling the story of Egypt, special attention should be paid to the time period known as the Middle Kingdom, from about 2040 to 1782 BC, under the Eleventh, Twelfth, and Thirteenth Dynasties. The height of the Middle Kingdom’s power was from approximately 1991 to 1803 BC, during the Twelfth Dynasty of Egypt.

Egypt Middle Kingdom broke away from the Old Kingdom of Egypt in the First Intermediate Period, and then again from the New Kingdom in the Second Intermediate Period.

During the period of ancient Egypt, each transition from the kingdom to the intermediate period represented a shift in power structures and cultural norms that would gradually shape Egyptian traits and society over thousands of years.

The Middle Kingdom can be considered the period in which Egyptian culture clearly began to emerge. This culture was reflected in developments in literature, art, crafts, agriculture, and trade.

Egypt Middle Kingdom was a period of great political and social stability in ancient Egypt, lasting until the Thirteenth Dynasty, which faced opposition from invading seafaring Hyksos from southwest Asia. However, the cultural changes that occurred during the Middle Kingdom continued until the later Second Intermediate Period and had a lasting impact on the development of Egyptian culture.

Who Were the Major Pharaohs of Egypt Middle Kingdom?

 

The rule of Middle Kingdom Egypt began with Intef I. Among the main pharaohs of this period are:

Intif I

Mentuhotep i

Intif II

Mentuhotep II

Mentuhotep III

Mentuhotep IV

Mentuhotep II and his successors Mentuhotep III and IV attempted to return the power structures of the Middle Kingdom to the past strong central government seen in the Old Kingdom, but the dispersion of power that occurred during the First Intermediate Period caused a permanent shift in governance. Rule of ancient Egypt.

Egyptian Middle Kingdom Dynasties 2055 – 1650 BC

Eleventh Dynasty of Egypt Middle Kingdom from 2125 – 1985 BC

Egypt Middle Kingdom begins to reunite the country under the rule of Mentuhotep I, who overthrows the kings of Heracleopolis. He took the name of Horus, the god of the white crown, implicitly claiming all of Upper Egypt. This was later changed to Unified Two Lands. His magnificent funerary complex at Deir el-Bahari was the architectural inspiration for the Temple of Hatshepsut that was built next to it some 500 years later.

Intef I 2125-2112

Intef II 2112-2063

Intef III 2063-2055

Mentuhotep I 2055-2004

Mentuhotep II 1992-2004

Mentuhotep III 1992-1985

Twelfth Dynasty of Egypt Middle Kingdom from 1991 – 1782 BC

Amenemhat I moved the capital to Memphis. There was a revival of the artistic styles of the Old Kingdom. He later took his son Amenemhat as co-regent. During the ten years of joint rule, Sesostris campaigned in Lower Nubia, leading to its conquest. Amenemhat was killed during Amenemhat’s absence on one of his campaigns in Libya, but Amenemhat managed to maintain his hold on the throne and consolidate his father’s achievements.

Sesostris III reorganized Egypt into four regions: the northern and southern half of the Nile Valley and the eastern and eastern half. West Delta. He and his successor, Sesostris III, left a stunning artistic legacy in the form of statues depicting them as elderly and weary rulers.

During this period the written language was organized into its classical form of Middle Egyptian. The first group of literary texts was composed in this form, although many are attributed to Old Kingdom authors. The most important of these is the Instructions of Mericari, a discourse on ownership and moral responsibility.

Queen Sobekneferu, the first female queen, marked the end of the dynastic dynasty.

Amenemhat I 1955-1985

Sesostris I 1920-1965

Amenemhat II 1878-1922

Sesostris II 1880-1874

Sesostris III 1874-1855

Amenemhat III 1855-1808

Amenemhat IV 1799-1808

Queen Sobekneferu 1799-1795

Thirteenth Dynasty  of Egypt Middle Kingdom from 1782 – 1650 BC

The true chronology of the Thirteenth Dynasty is somewhat ambiguous as there are few surviving ruins from this period. There were many kings who ruled for a short period, were not from the same family, and some were born from commoners. The past 50 years represent a gradual decline.

It seems that after Ay’s death, the eastern Delta broke away under the rule of its minor kings (Fourteenth Dynasty). There is something less known about this breed.

Asian immigration spread widely, as successive waves of Palestinians settled in the northeastern delta.

And it dries up

Intif IV

Hur

Sobehotep II

Dagger

Sobekhotep III

Neferhotep I

Sobekhotep IV around 1725

AY

Neferhotep II

Egypt Middle Kingdom Pyramids 

 

Amenemhet I’s pyramid at lisht

The Pyramid of Amenemhat I is an Egyptian burial structure built in Lisht by the founder of the Twelfth Dynasty of Egypt, Amenemhat I.

This structure returned to the approximate size and shape of the Old Kingdom pyramids. It also established a new tradition by giving each component structure in the pyramid complex its own unique name. Collectively, the structures were known as the “places of Amenemhat’s apparitions.”

The Pyramid of Senwosret I at Lisht

The Pyramid of Senusret I is an Egyptian pyramid built to be the burial place of Pharaoh Senusret I. The pyramid was built during the Twelfth Dynasty of Egypt in the Lasht region, near the pyramid of his father, Amenemhat I. His old name was Senusret Beti Tawi (Sensret Sees the Two Lands).

The length of the pyramid on each side was 105 meters, and its height was 61.25 meters. The inclination of the four faces was 49° 24’. The pyramid used a construction method that was unprecedented in an Egyptian pyramid. Four stone walls radiating from the center are made of rough blocks that decrease in size as their position increases.

The eight sections formed by these walls were then divided into three further walls, dividing the pyramid into 32 different units which were then filled with slabs of stone as well as rubble. A soft limestone exterior then covered the structure.

However, this new construction method was not particularly effective, and the completed pyramid suffered from stability problems. Unusually, there is also still clear evidence of the slopes used to build the pyramid.

The Pyramid Complex of Senwosret III

The Pyramid of Senusret III (Lepsius XLVII) is an ancient Egyptian pyramid located in Dahshur and built for Pharaoh Senusret III of the Twelfth Dynasty (19th century BC).

The pyramid is considered the northernmost pyramid of Dahshur, and is located about 1.5 km northeast of the Red Pyramid of Sneferu. It was built on flat ground and consists of a mudbrick core covered by a shell of white Tura limestone blocks resting on the foundations.

It was excavated for the first time in 1894 by the French Egyptologist Jacques de Morgan, who was able to reach the burial chamber after discovering a tunnel dug by ancient tomb robbers. A more recent campaign was led by Dieter Arnold during the 1990s.

Senwosret III Abydos Tomb

First discovered in 1902, the tomb of Senusret III is one of the largest royal tombs ever built in ancient Egypt, although it is perhaps one of the least well understood. The 800-foot underground structure was thought to have served as a tomb (symbolic tomb). Current excavations, ongoing since 2004, have produced significant archaeological evidence that the tomb was used to bury the king.

The cemetery was reopened in 2005 with support from the National Geographic Society. The ongoing excavation program is designed to fully investigate this unique and important funerary monument. The tomb is of particular importance as a transitional form between the earlier tradition of royal pyramids and the form of the hidden tomb known in the Valley of the Kings.

The tomb site benefits from a prominent peak in the cliffs which ancient texts refer to as “Mount Anubis”. The excavation and analysis of this tomb aims to understand changing notions of the royal afterlife and how these ideas were expressed in new architectural forms.

Amenemhet III’s Two Pyramid Complexes.

The Black Pyramid was built by King Amenemhat III (1860 BC – 1814 BC) of the Twelfth Dynasty (1991 BC – 1802 BC) during the Egypt Middle Kingdom (2055-1650 BC). It is known to be one of the five remaining pyramids of the original 11 pyramids of Dahshur in ancient Egypt. The pyramid is known as the Great Amenemhat, which also gained the name of the Black Pyramid due to its striking dark color as well as the decaying appearance of its unique rubble pile.

The Black Pyramid was the first home and final resting place of the deceased royal pharaoh and his queen consorts. In about 1892, Jacques de Morgan during a French excavation mission throughout the Dahshur region, and again in 1983, the German Archaeological Institute in Cairo completed an excavation mission throughout the region.

Art in Egypt Middle Kingdom

Although the artistic expression was still used for the glory of the king or the gods, it found a new subject during the Middle Kingdom. Even a cursory examination of Old Kingdom texts shows that they were largely of a type such as inscriptions on monuments, pyramid texts, and theological works.

In the Egypt Middle Kingdom, although these types of inscriptions still existed, a true literature developed that dealt not only with kings or gods but also the lives of common people and the human experience. Works such as “Lie of the Harbor” question whether there is life after death as it deals with the conflict between a man and his soul.

The most famous and popular prose works such as The Tale of the Drowned Sailor and The Tale of Sinuhe also come from this period.

Sculpture and painting also often focus on everyday life and common surroundings. Paintings of streams and fields, and people hunting or walking, became more common at this time. Pictures of daily life and activities were painted in tombs to remind the soul of the life it had left behind on earth and toward the reed field, the afterlife paradise, which was a mirror image of what remained. Behind. Statues became more realistic and new techniques were developed to create sharper, more realistic creations.

The construction of the temple, following the large funerary complex of Mentuhotep II at Thebes, created a seamless relationship between the structure and the surrounding landscape, with the result that almost every temple built in the Twelfth Dynasty mirrors the temple of Mentuhotep II to greater or lesser degrees.

The kings of the Twelfth Dynasty encouraged this type of expression, and their friendly relationship with the local kings made the Twelfth Dynasty one of the greatest families in Egyptian history.

The End of Egypt Middle Kingdom

Traditionally, the Thirteenth Dynasty is seen as weaker than the Twelfth Dynasty, and indeed it was, but it is unclear exactly when it began its decline as historical records are fragmentary. Some kings, such as Sobekhotep I, are well attested, but became less well known as the Thirteenth Dynasty continued.

Some kings are mentioned only in the Turin king list and nowhere else, and some are mentioned in inscriptions but not in lists. Manetho’s king list, regularly consulted by Egyptologists, failed in the Thirteenth Dynasty when it listed 60 kings ruling for 453 years, an impossible length of time, which scholars interpret as an error of 153 years (van de Mierop, 107).

The claim that the dynasty continued for 150 years after Sobekhotep I is also likely false, as the Hyksos were firmly established as a power in Lower Egypt by c. 1720 BC and were in control of that region by c. 1782 BC.”

The Middle Kingdom, particularly during the 12th Dynasty, marks a significant period in the history of ancient Egypt, known for political stability and cultural growth.

It was an era of strong leadership, exemplified by warrior kings like Amenemhat II, who expanded Egypt’s territory and solidified its power.

The pharaohs of this time maintained standing armies to defend and conquer neighboring lands. Architecture flourished with the use of mud bricks to construct fortresses, temples, and tombs.

The Middle Kingdom is often seen as a golden age, setting the stage for the later New Kingdom’s rise to power.

Frequently Asked Questions about Egypt Middle Kingdom 

When was the Middle Kingdom period in Egypt?

Egypt Middle Kingdom period was from approximately 2040 to 1782 BC, beginning when Mentuhotep II unified Upper and Lower Egypt in 2040 BC and ending with the conquest of the Hyksos.

What important events happened in the Middle Kingdom?

Egypt Middle Kingdom witnessed many key events in ancient Egyptian history, including the construction of the Temple of Karnak and the rule of the first female pharaoh, Sobekneferu.

What important things happened in Egypt Middle Kingdom?

The Egypt Middle Kingdom was a period of increasing stability and prestige for ancient Egypt. There was great political stability as Upper and Lower Egypt were unified, and a distinct culture began to develop in the form of literature and art, especially block statues and carved temples.

What advancements were created in Egypt during the Middle Kingdom?

The Egypt Middle Kingdom saw progress in agriculture, where infrastructure was developed to allow irrigation of farmland away from the Nile Basin, and in social equality, where there was greater upward mobility and the distribution of political power.

What is Egypt’s Middle Kingdom famous for?

The Egypt Middle Kingdom is known as a golden age in the development of ancient Egyptian culture, when art and literature became popular among the common people.

What was the greatest accomplishment of the Egyptian Middle Kingdom?

The greatest achievement of the Egypt Middle Kingdom was the unification of Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt, which were united as one kingdom by Mentuhotep II in 2040 BC, and this led to greater political stability for the kingdom.