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The middle kingdom is the period in the history of ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt

Ancient Egypt was an Ancient history civilization in eastern North Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile in what is now the modern nation of Egypt....
 stretching from the establishment of the Eleventh Dynasty
Eleventh dynasty of Egypt

The Eleventh dynasty of ancient Egypt was one group of rulers, whose earlier members are grouped with the four preceding dynasties to form the First Intermediate Period, while the later members are considered part of the Middle Kingdom of Egypt....
 to the end of the Fourteenth Dynasty
Fourteenth dynasty of Egypt

The Eleventh , Twelfth, Thirteenth and Fourteenth Dynasties of ancient Egypt are often combined under the group title, Middle Kingdom, though this dynasty overlaps partially with either the Thirteenth dynasty of Egypt or the Fifteenth dynasty of Egypt, during the Second Intermediate Period of Egypt....
, roughly between 2040 BC and 1640 BC.

The period comprises two phases, the 11th Dynasty
Eleventh dynasty of Egypt

The Eleventh dynasty of ancient Egypt was one group of rulers, whose earlier members are grouped with the four preceding dynasties to form the First Intermediate Period, while the later members are considered part of the Middle Kingdom of Egypt....
, which ruled from Thebes
Thebes, Egypt

Thebes was a city in Ancient Egypt located about 800 km south of the Mediterranean, on the east bank of the river Nile . It was the capital of Waset, the fourth Upper Egyptian Nome ....
 and the 12th Dynasty
Twelfth dynasty of Egypt

The Eleventh , Twelfth, Thirteenth and Fourteenth Dynasties of ancient Egypt are often combined under the group title, Middle Kingdom of Egypt....
 onwards which was centred around el-Lisht
El-Lisht

Lisht or el-Lisht is an Egyptian village located south of Cairo. It is the site of Middle Kingdom of Egypt royal and elite burials, including two pyramids built by Amenemhat I and Senusret I....
. These two dynasties were originally considered to be the full extent of this unified kingdom, but historians now consider the 13th Dynasty
Thirteenth dynasty of Egypt

The Eleventh , Twelfth, Thirteenth and Fourteenth Dynasties of ancient Egypt are often combined under the group title, Middle Kingdom of Egypt....
 to at least partially belong to the Middle Kingdom.

Eleventh Dynasty
The Eleventh dynasty of Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt

Ancient Egypt was an Ancient history civilization in eastern North Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile in what is now the modern nation of Egypt....
 was a group of pharaohs whose earlier members are grouped with the four preceding dynasties to form the First Intermediate Period, while the later members from Mentuhotep II
Mentuhotep II

Nebhepetre Mentuhotep II was a Pharaoh of the Eleventh dynasty of Egypt, the son of Intef III of Egypt and a minor queen called Iah. His own wife was the 'king's mother' Tem....
 onwards are considered part of the Middle Kingdom.






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The middle kingdom is the period in the history of ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt

Ancient Egypt was an Ancient history civilization in eastern North Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile in what is now the modern nation of Egypt....
 stretching from the establishment of the Eleventh Dynasty
Eleventh dynasty of Egypt

The Eleventh dynasty of ancient Egypt was one group of rulers, whose earlier members are grouped with the four preceding dynasties to form the First Intermediate Period, while the later members are considered part of the Middle Kingdom of Egypt....
 to the end of the Fourteenth Dynasty
Fourteenth dynasty of Egypt

The Eleventh , Twelfth, Thirteenth and Fourteenth Dynasties of ancient Egypt are often combined under the group title, Middle Kingdom, though this dynasty overlaps partially with either the Thirteenth dynasty of Egypt or the Fifteenth dynasty of Egypt, during the Second Intermediate Period of Egypt....
, roughly between 2040 BC and 1640 BC.

The period comprises two phases, the 11th Dynasty
Eleventh dynasty of Egypt

The Eleventh dynasty of ancient Egypt was one group of rulers, whose earlier members are grouped with the four preceding dynasties to form the First Intermediate Period, while the later members are considered part of the Middle Kingdom of Egypt....
, which ruled from Thebes
Thebes, Egypt

Thebes was a city in Ancient Egypt located about 800 km south of the Mediterranean, on the east bank of the river Nile . It was the capital of Waset, the fourth Upper Egyptian Nome ....
 and the 12th Dynasty
Twelfth dynasty of Egypt

The Eleventh , Twelfth, Thirteenth and Fourteenth Dynasties of ancient Egypt are often combined under the group title, Middle Kingdom of Egypt....
 onwards which was centred around el-Lisht
El-Lisht

Lisht or el-Lisht is an Egyptian village located south of Cairo. It is the site of Middle Kingdom of Egypt royal and elite burials, including two pyramids built by Amenemhat I and Senusret I....
. These two dynasties were originally considered to be the full extent of this unified kingdom, but historians now consider the 13th Dynasty
Thirteenth dynasty of Egypt

The Eleventh , Twelfth, Thirteenth and Fourteenth Dynasties of ancient Egypt are often combined under the group title, Middle Kingdom of Egypt....
 to at least partially belong to the Middle Kingdom.

Eleventh Dynasty


The Eleventh dynasty of Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt

Ancient Egypt was an Ancient history civilization in eastern North Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile in what is now the modern nation of Egypt....
 was a group of pharaohs whose earlier members are grouped with the four preceding dynasties to form the First Intermediate Period, while the later members from Mentuhotep II
Mentuhotep II

Nebhepetre Mentuhotep II was a Pharaoh of the Eleventh dynasty of Egypt, the son of Intef III of Egypt and a minor queen called Iah. His own wife was the 'king's mother' Tem....
 onwards are considered part of the Middle Kingdom. They all ruled from Thebes.

An inscription carved during the reign of Wanka Intef II
Intef II

Intef II was a Pharaoh of the Eleventh dynasty of Egypt during the First Intermediate Period. His capital lay at Thebes, Egypt. At this time, Egypt was split between several local dynasties....
 shows that he was the first of this dynasty to claim to rule over the whole of Egypt, a claim which brought the Thebeans into conflict with the rulers of Herakleopolis Magna
Herakleopolis Magna

Herakleopolis Magna is the Greek language name of the capital of the Twentieth nome of ancient Egypt. It was called Henen-nesut, Nen-nesu, or Hwt-nen-nesu in Egyptian language, meaning 'house of the royal child.' Later, it was called Hnas in Coptic language, and Ahnas in medieval Arabic language writings....
, the Tenth Dynasty
Tenth dynasty of Egypt

The Seventh and eighth dynasties of Egypt, Seventh and eighth dynasties of Egypt, Ninth dynasty of Egypt, 10th and Eleventh dynasty of Egypt List of Egyptian Dynasties are often combined under the group title, First Intermediate Period....
. Intef undertook several campaigns northwards, and captured the important nome of Abydos
Abydos, Egypt

Abydos , one of the most ancient cities of Upper and Lower Egypt, is about 11 km west of the Nile at latitude 26? 10' N. The Egyptian name of both the eighth Nome of Upper Egypt and its capital city was Abdju, technically, 3bdw as in the hieroglyphs shown to the right, the hill of the symbol or reliquary, in which...
.

Warfare continued intermittently between the Thebean and Herakleopolitan dynasts until the 14th regnal year
Regnal year

A regnal year is a year of the reign of a monarch. From Latin regnum meaning kingdom, rule.The oldest dating systems were in regnal years, and considered the date as an ordinal number, not a cardinal number....
 of Nebhetepra Mentuhotep II
Mentuhotep II

Nebhepetre Mentuhotep II was a Pharaoh of the Eleventh dynasty of Egypt, the son of Intef III of Egypt and a minor queen called Iah. His own wife was the 'king's mother' Tem....
, when the Herakleopolitans were defeated, and the Theban dynasty began to consolidate their rule. Mentuhotep II is known to have commanded military campaigns south into Nubia
Nubia

Nubia is a region in Southern Egypt along the Nile and in what is now northern Sudan. Most of Nubia is situated in Sudan with about a quarter of its territory in Egypt....
, which had gained its independence during the First Intermediate Period. There is also evidence for military actions against Palestine. The king reorganized the country and placed a vizier
Vizier (Ancient Egypt)

The vizier was the highest official in Ancient Egypt to serve the king, or pharaoh during the Old, Middle, and New Kingdoms. Vizier is the generally accepted rendering of ancient Egyptian tjati, tjaty etc, among Egyptologists....
 at the head of civil administration for the country.

Mentuhotep IV was the final pharaoh of this dynasty, and despite being absent from various lists of pharaohs, his reign is attested from a few inscriptions in Wadi Hammamat
Wadi Hammamat

is a wadi in Egypt's Eastern Desert, about halfway between Qusier and Qena. It was a major mining region and trade route east from the Nile Valley in ancient times, and three thousand years of rock carvings and graffiti make it a major scientific and tourist site today....
 that record expeditions to the Red Sea
Red Sea

The Red Sea is a salt water inlet of the Indian Ocean between Africa and Asia. The connection to the ocean is in the south through the Bab el Mandeb sound and the Gulf of Aden....
 coast and to quarry stone for the royal monuments. The leader of this expedition was his vizier Amenemhat, who is widely assumed to be the future pharaoh Amenemhet I, the first king of the 12th Dynasty
Twelfth dynasty of Egypt

The Eleventh , Twelfth, Thirteenth and Fourteenth Dynasties of ancient Egypt are often combined under the group title, Middle Kingdom of Egypt....
. Amenemhet is widely assumed by some Egyptologists to have either usurped the throne or assumed power after Mentuhotep IV died childless.

Twelfth Dynasty

After the reigns of his successors (Mentuhotep III
Mentuhotep III

Sankhkare Mentuhotep III of the Eleventh dynasty of Egypt was Pharaoh of Egypt during the Middle Kingdom of Egypt. He continued the building program of his father Mentuhotep II, erecting temples to among others, Amun and Montu, local gods who had grown in prominence during the First Intermediate Period....
) and (Mentuhotep IV
Mentuhotep IV

Nebtawyre Mentuhotep IV was the last king of the 11th Dynasty. He seems to fit into a 7 year period in the Turin Canon for which there is no recorded king, and is known from a few inscriptions in Wadi Hammamat that record expeditions to the Red Sea coast and to quarry stone for the royal monuments....
) of the Eleventh Dynasty ended, there was a smooth transition into the illustrious Twelfth Dynasty. The first Pharaoh of the Twelfth Dynasty, (Amenemhat I
Amenemhat I

Amenemhat I, also Amenemhet I, was the first ruler of the Twelfth dynasty of Egypt . He ruled from Twelfth dynasty of Egypt.Amenemhet I was not of royal lineage, and the composition of some literary works and, in architecture, the reversion to the pyramid-style complexes of the Sixth dynasty of Egypt rulers are often considered to...
), is, according to some sources, the same man as Amenemhat, the Vizier
Vizier (Ancient Egypt)

The vizier was the highest official in Ancient Egypt to serve the king, or pharaoh during the Old, Middle, and New Kingdoms. Vizier is the generally accepted rendering of ancient Egyptian tjati, tjaty etc, among Egyptologists....
 of Upper Egypt
Upper Egypt

File:Ancient Egypt map-en.svgUpper Egypt is a narrow strip of land that extends from the Cataracts of the Nile section of Upper Egypt, between El-Ayait and Asyut is sometimes known as Middle Egypt....
, under the reign of Mentuhotep IV. This explains the smooth transition of power in which Amenemhat easily assumed the reins of power after the death of Mentuhotep IV.

Amenemhat I built a new capital for Egypt, known as Itjtawy
Itjtawy

Itjtawy , is the as-yet unidentified location of the royal city founded by Twelfth dynasty of Egypt Egyptians King Amenemhat I during year 20 of his reign....
. The location of this capital is unknown, but is presumably the present-day el-Lisht
El-Lisht

Lisht or el-Lisht is an Egyptian village located south of Cairo. It is the site of Middle Kingdom of Egypt royal and elite burials, including two pyramids built by Amenemhat I and Senusret I....
, although Manetho
Manetho

Manetho was an Egyptian historian and priest from Sebennytos who lived during the Ptolemaic dynasty, ca. 3rd century BC. Manetho wrote the Aegyptiaca ....
 claims the capital remained at Thebes. Amenemhat pacified unrest in Egypt by force and curtailed the rights of the nomarchs. He is known to have at least launched one campaign into Nubia
Nubia

Nubia is a region in Southern Egypt along the Nile and in what is now northern Sudan. Most of Nubia is situated in Sudan with about a quarter of its territory in Egypt....
. In 1971 BC Amenemhat established his son Senusret I
Senusret I

Senusret I was the second pharaoh of the Twelfth dynasty of Egypt of Ancient Egypt. He ruled from 1971 BC to 1926 BC, and was one of the most powerful kings of this Dynasty....
 as his junior co-regent. In 1962 BC, he was presumably murdered by a royal bodyguard. Senuseret, campaigning against Libyan invaders, rushed home to Itjtawy to prevent a takeover of the government. This proved the worth of the institution of the coregency since the new king had acquired useful experience by the time he would start his sole reign. The co-regency system lasted throughout the Twelfth Dynasty and provided great stability.

Senusret's successor Amenemhat II
Amenemhat II

Nubkhaure Amenemhat II was the third pharaoh of the Twelfth dynasty of Egypt of Ancient Egypt, not much is known about his reign. He ruled Egypt for 35 years from 1929 BC to 1895 BC and was the son of Senusret I through the latter's chief wife, Queen Nefru....
 (1929 BC – 1895 BC) made the position of the nomarchs hereditary again (thus weakening the centralized government) and established trade connections with Nubia. A war seems to have been conducted in the Levant
Levant

The Levant describes, traditionally, the Eastern Mediterranean at large, but can be used as a geographical term that denotes a large area in Western Asia formed by the lands bordering the Eastern shores of the Mediterranean, roughly bounded on the north by the Taurus Mountains, on the south by the Arabian Desert, and on the west by the M...
.

Senusret II
Senusret II

Khakeperre Senusret II was the fourth pharaoh of the Twelfth dynasty of Egypt of Ancient Egypt. He ruled from 1897 BC to 1878 BC. His pyramid was constructed at El-Lahun....
 (1897 BC – 1878 BC) improved trade connections with Nubia, Palestine and the Levant.

His successor Senusret III
Senusret III

Khakhaure Senusret III was a pharaoh of Ancient Egypt. He ruled from 1878 BC to 1839 BC, and was the fifth monarch of the Twelfth dynasty of Egypt of the Middle Kingdom of Egypt....
 (1878 BC – 1839 BC) was a warrior-king, often taking to the field himself. He led his troops deep into Nubia, and built a series of massive forts throughout the country to establish Egypt's formal boundary with the unconquered areas of the territory. On the domestic front, he built a fine religious temple at Abydos; while it is now destroyed, surviving reliefs show the high quality of the decorations. He was deified at the end of the Middle Kingdom and worshipped by the pharaohs of the New Kingdom
New Kingdom

The New Kingdom, sometimes referred to as the Egyptian Empire, is the period in ancient Egyptian History of Ancient Egypt between the 16th century BC and the 11th century BC, covering the Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt, Nineteenth dynasty of Egypt, and Twentieth dynasty of Egypt....
. He gave the Crown to his son in his twentieth Year, according to evidence from Papyrus Berlin 10056, but remained the senior coregent.

Amenemhat III
Amenemhat III

Amenemhat III, also spelled Amenemhet III , was a pharaoh of the Twelfth dynasty of Egypt of Ancient Egypt. He ruled from ca.1860 BC to ca.1814 BC, the latest known date being found in a papyrus dated to Regnal Year 46, I Akhet 22 of his rule....
 (1860 BC – 1815 BC) was the last great pharaoh of the Middle Kingdom. Egypt's population began to exceed food production levels and Amenemhat III ordered the exploitation of the Fayyum and increased mining operations in the Sinaļ desert. He made sure that nomarchs could no longer inherit their nomes as Amenemhat II had permitted. He also invited Asiatic settlers to Egypt to labor on Egypt's monuments. But late in his reign the annual floods began to fail and his successor Amenemhat IV
Amenemhat IV

Amenemhat IV, alt. Amenemhet IV or Sobehneferu, was Pharaoh, likely ruling between ca. 1815 BC and ca. 1806 BC. He served first as the junior coregent of Amenemhat III and completed the latter's temple at Medinet Maadi, which is "the only intact temple still existing from the Middle Kingdom" according to Zahi Hawass, Secretary-General o...
 ruled Egypt for just nine full years (1816 BC – 1807 BC) before dying prematurely.

The sister of Amenemhat IV briefly reigned as Queen Sobekneferu
Sobekneferu

Sobekneferu was an ancient Egypt female pharaoh of the Twelfth dynasty of Egypt. Her name meant "the beauties of Sobek." She was the daughter of Pharaoh Amenemhat III....
 (1807 BC – 1803 BC). As she apparently had no heirs, the Twelfth Dynasty came to a sudden end as did the Golden Age of the Middle Kingdom.

Pharaohs of the Twelfth
Twelfth dynasty of Egypt

The Eleventh , Twelfth, Thirteenth and Fourteenth Dynasties of ancient Egypt are often combined under the group title, Middle Kingdom of Egypt....
 through Eighteenth Dynasty
Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt

The Eighteenth Dynasty is perhaps the best known of all the dynasties of ancient Egypt. As well as a number of Egypt's most powerful pharaohs, it included Tutankhamun, whose tomb, uncovered by Howard Carter in 1922, was one of the greatest of all archaeological discoveries, being completely undisturbed by tomb robbers....
 are credited with preserving for us some of the most fabulous of Egyptian
Ancient Egypt

Ancient Egypt was an Ancient history civilization in eastern North Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile in what is now the modern nation of Egypt....
 papyri
Papyrus

Papyrus is a thick paper material produced from the pith of the papyrus plant, Cyperus papyrus, a wetland Cyperaceae that was once abundant in the Nile Delta of Egypt....
:

  • 1950 BC – Akhmim Wooden Tablet
    Akhmim wooden tablet

    The Akhmim wooden tablet, is an ancient Egyptian artifact that has been dated to 2000 BC, near to the beginning of the Egyptian Middle Kingdom. It is currently housed in Cairo's Museum of Egyptian Antiquities....
  • 1950 BC – Heqanakht papyri
    Heqanakht papyri

    The Heqanakht Papyri or Heqanakht Letters, written around 2,000 BCE, have been placed in historical context since 1954, per Cerny, Jareslav . "Prices and Wages in Egypt in the Ramesside Period." Journal of World History, 1, 903-21....
  • 1800 BC – Berlin papyrus
    Berlin papyrus

    The Berlin Papyrus 6619, commonly known as the Berlin Papyrus is an ancient Egyptian papyrus document from the Middle Kingdom. This papyrus was found at the ancient burial ground of Saqqara in the early 19th century CE....
  • 1800 BC – Moscow Mathematical Papyrus
  • 1650 BC – Rhind Mathematical Papyrus
    Rhind Mathematical Papyrus

    The Rhind Mathematical Papyrus , is named after Alexander Henry Rhind, a Scotland antiquarian, who purchased the papyrus in 1858 in Luxor, Egypt; it was apparently found during illegal excavations in or near the Ramesseum....


  • 1600 BC – Edwin Smith papyrus
    Edwin Smith papyrus

    The Edwin Smith Papyrus is the only surviving copy of part of an Ancient Egyptian textbook on Physical trauma surgery. It is among the world's earliest surviving examples of medical literature, the Kahun Gynecological Papyrus being older, and is the world's oldest surgical document....
  • 1550 BC – Ebers papyrus
    Ebers papyrus

    The Ebers Papyrus of about 16th century BC is among the most important medical papyri of ancient Egypt. It is also commonly called Papyrus Ebers ....
    '


Thirteenth and Fourteenth Dynasties


Thirteenth Dynasty


The Thirteenth Dynasty
Thirteenth dynasty of Egypt

The Eleventh , Twelfth, Thirteenth and Fourteenth Dynasties of ancient Egypt are often combined under the group title, Middle Kingdom of Egypt....
 ruled for approximately 453 years, according to Manetho, but this is presumably an error for 153 years since the digit 4 and 1 were very similar in Greek. A few of the kings and their possible dates include:

  • Neferhotep I
    Neferhotep I

    King Neferhotep I was an Ancient Egypt Pharaoh of the Thirteenth dynasty of Egypt and one of the most powerful kings of this dynasty. The Turin Canon assigns him a reign length of 11 years....
     1696–1685
  • Sihathor 1685–1685
  • Sobekhotep IV 1685–1678
  • Sobekhotep V 1678–1674
  • Iaib 1674–1664
  • Merneferre Ai
    Merneferre Ai

    'Merneferre Ay' was an Ancient Egyptian ruler of the Thirteenth dynasty of Egypt. He assumed the throne around 1700s BC. His reign length--as preserved in the damaged Turin King List?was disputed in the past with J?rgen von Beckerath reading the damaged figure on the papyrus fragment as only 13 years in his 1964 work Untersuchungen zur polit...
     1664–1641 (not to be confused with Pharaoh Ay
    Ay

    Ay was the penultimate Pharaoh of Ancient Egypt's Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt. He held the throne of Egypt for a brief four-year period , although he was a close advisor to two and perhaps three of the pharaohs who ruled before him and was the power behind the throne during Tutankhamun's reign....
     of the Eighteenth Dynasty
    Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt

    The Eighteenth Dynasty is perhaps the best known of all the dynasties of ancient Egypt. As well as a number of Egypt's most powerful pharaohs, it included Tutankhamun, whose tomb, uncovered by Howard Carter in 1922, was one of the greatest of all archaeological discoveries, being completely undisturbed by tomb robbers....
    )


Fourteenth dynasty


These kings appear to have gradually lost their grasp over Egypt. A Fourteenth Dynasty
Fourteenth dynasty of Egypt

The Eleventh , Twelfth, Thirteenth and Fourteenth Dynasties of ancient Egypt are often combined under the group title, Middle Kingdom, though this dynasty overlaps partially with either the Thirteenth dynasty of Egypt or the Fifteenth dynasty of Egypt, during the Second Intermediate Period of Egypt....
 appeared in the Delta region, but the pharaohs of this dynasty seem to have been minor monarchs in the Delta region.

The Thirteenth and Fourteenth Dynasties witnessed the slow decline of Egypt into the Second Intermediate Period
Second Intermediate Period of Egypt

The Second Intermediate Period marks a period when History of Ancient Egypt once again fell into disarray between the end of the Middle Kingdom of Egypt, and the start of the New Kingdom of Egypt....
 in which some of the Asiatic settlers of Amenemhat III
Amenemhat III

Amenemhat III, also spelled Amenemhet III , was a pharaoh of the Twelfth dynasty of Egypt of Ancient Egypt. He ruled from ca.1860 BC to ca.1814 BC, the latest known date being found in a papyrus dated to Regnal Year 46, I Akhet 22 of his rule....
 would grasp power over Egypt as the Hyksos
Hyksos

The Hyksos were an Asiatic people who invaded the eastern Nile Delta, in the Twelfth dynasty of Egypt initiating the Second Intermediate Period of Ancient Egypt....
.

Further reading

  • W. Grajetzki, The Middle Kingdom of Ancient Egypt: History,Archaeology and Society, Duckworth, London 2006 ISBN 0-7156-3435-6