The Middle Kingdom
Early in the Middle Kingdom, the king re-established his power by taking direct control of the military and by appointing important administrative positions to trusted and loyal members of the family. This limited the power of the nomarchs and priests that had grown ever more powerful since the collapse of the Old Kingdom, and brought wealth and power back to the king. The stability of the government allowed production to increase manifold. The improvements to infrastructure ushered in an era of flourishing trade, and the stability of the time allowed arts and literature to reach new heights. Around 1780 BC, the immigrant Hyksos gained power in Lower Egypt, which led to the Second Intermediate Period.
Dynasty XI
| # | Pharaoh | Alternate names | Reign (BC) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mentuhotep I | Mentuhotep-aa | |
| 2 | Intef I | Antef I, Anjotef I, Inyotef I | |
| 3 | Intef II | Antef II, Anjotef II, Inyotef II | 2066–2017 |
| 4 | Intef III | Antef III, Anjotef III, Inyotef III | 2016–2009 |
| 5 | Mentuhotep II | Montuhotep II | 2009–1959 |
| 6 | Mentuhotep III | Montuhotep III | 1958–1947 |
| 7 | Mentuhotep IV | Montuhotep IV | 1947–1940 |
Dynasty XII
| # | Pharaoh | Alternate names | Reign (BC) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Amenemhat I | Amenemhet I | 1939–1910 |
| 2 | Senusret I | Senusret I, Senwosret I | 1920–1875 |
| 3 | Amenemhat II | Amenemhet II | 1878–1843 |
| 4 | Senusret II | Senusret II, Senwosret II | 1845–1837 |
| 5 | Senusret III | Senusret III, Senwosret III, Sesostris | 1837–1819 |
| 6 | Amenemhat III | Amenemhet III | 1818–1773 |
| 7 | Amenemhat IV | Amenemhet IV | 1772–1764 |
| 8 | Neferusobek | Sobekneferu | 1763–1760 |
- Turin king list
223 kings – Dynasty 19 - Abydos Canon
76 kings – Dynasty 19 - Saqqara Canon
58 kings – Dynasty 19 - Karnak Canon
61 kings – Dynasty 18 - Comparing the canons
Abydos, Saqqara and Karnak - Ramesseum Canon
Ramesses II Mortuary Temple - Medinet Habu Canon
Ramesses III Mortuary Temple
Ancient historians
- Herodotus
450 BC – Histories - Manetho
250 BC – Aegyptiaca - Diodorus
50 BC – Bibliotheca Historica - Josephus
100 CE – Against Apion - Africanus
220 CE – Chronographai - Eusebius
325 CE – Chronicon - Jerome
380 CE – Chronicon - Syncellus
800 CE – Egloga Chronographai - Eratosthenes
Probably a forgery (date unknown) - Comparing the sources
Transmission of Manetho
by Africanus et. al.
OK – Old Kingdom
Dynasties 3-6
MK – Middle Kingdom
Dynasties 11-12
NK – New Kingdom
Dynasties 18-20
SIP – Second Intermediate Period
Dynasties 13-17
Thebes – The Southern capital
Memphis – The Northern capital
Epitome – Manetho’s original Aegyptiaca was lost in antiquity, and in the following centuries, it was replaced by Epitomes (summaries) by rivalling advocates of Jewish, Egyptian, and Greek history that saw each side trying to establish the truth according to their point of view.
Vorlage – From the German for prototype or template, a vorlage is a prior version of a manuscript, in this case an earlier version of the canon.
Recto and verso – Recto is the front side and verso is the back side of a written or printed text.
Cartouche – oval band enclosing a pharaohs name
Hieratic – cursive form of hieroglyphic script
Hyksos – Greek form of
Mortuary Temple – where the gods and the king who built the temple were worshipped.
Creative Commons
license
All content on this website is free to copy, redistribute and adapt in any medium or format, provided you give the appropriate credit. Yes, this includes images and texts. Keep information free!