Middle Kingdom

Begins 2,040 B.C.

 Vocabulary
Civil war: A war between citizens of the same country.
Famine: Extreme scarcity of food.

People:
Neferti: A scribe who wrote
Amenemhet: First ruler of the 12th dynasty.

Important Places:
Nubia: A region along the Nile River located in what is today northern Sudan and
southern Egypt.
Syria: A country of southwest Asia on the eastern Mediterranean coast.
Crete: Greeces largest island.
Fall of the Old Kingdom
At the end of the Old Kingdom, in about 2,181 B.C.,
Egypt fell into civil war.
At about the same time, a long drought set in.
Farmland dried up and crops failed.
Famines plagued the war-torn country.
No longer united by one king, Egyptian nobles fought
one another for power.
Reunited the Kingdom
Egypt reunited in about 2,040 B.C.. That year marks the beginning of the
Middle Kingdom, a time stability and growth that lasted until about 1,786
B.C..
The rule of Dynasty 12 is considered the high point of this period.
The dynasty started about 1,991 B.C., when vizier named Amenemhet from
Lower Egypt became king.
He and those who ruled after him conquered all of northern Nubia.
They set up a chain of forts to protect the region.
Along their northeastern border, the Egyptians built the Walls of the Prince,
a series of forts, to protect the Nile Delta.
The rulers of Dynasty 12 undertook massive building projects.
To help secure water for food crops, they built more irrigation canals.
Reunited the Kingdom (continued)
They built an elaborate temple now known as Labyrinth that was said to
have 3,000 rooms connected by a maze of hallways.
The Middle Kingdom was also time of advances in art and literature.
Egyptian artists revived the wall-painting style of the Old Kingdom and
began crafting the finest jewelry ever made in Egypt.
Writers of the time produced Egypts earliest literature.
Middle Kingdom literature included not only religious writing, but also writing
about everyday life.
For example, Middle Kingdom writers provided guidelines for living in
society.
The Tale of the Ship Wrecked Sailor

https://youtu.be/LtKuxySQYME
Trade
Trade with other regions increased during the Middle Kingdom.
Caravans and ships carried goods between Egypt and parts of
southwestern Asia, eastern Africa, and the eastern Mediterranean region.
Egypt had plenty of resources of its own to trade, especially grains.
It also was rich in valuable minerals and semi-precious stones.
However, Egypt lacked some important resources, such as wood for
building and coppers for metalworking.
Caravans brought silver from Syria and copper and turquoise from the Sinai
Peninsula.
Ships sailing from what is now Lebanon (Phoenicians) brought cedar and
pinewood.
Gold, ebony, ivory, and incense came to Egypt through trade with
southern Nubia.
Trade Continued
Whether by land or by sea, trade could be difficult and dangerous.
Caravans moved slowly along desert routes, traveling only about 10 miles a
day.
Overland traders often faced robbers and sandstorms on their long
journeys.
Trade by sea was faster, but pirates were a danger.
Sea traders also had to brave strong winds and rough waves during winter
months.
Although difficult and risky, trade brought much wealth to those who could
overcome its dangers.
A Time of Invasion
After Dynasty 12, Egypt faced attacks from invaders.
At first, Egypt remained united, but the government was weak.
As many as 70 kings ruled during Dynasty 13.
Also at this time, large groups of people from southwestern Asia crossed
into Egypt by way of the Sinai Peninsula.
Overtime, these people settled in the area around the northeastern Nile
Delta.
The Egyptians called the people the Hyksos, meaning rulers of foreign
lands.
The Hyksos brought about the end of the Middle Kingdom and tore Egypt
apart.
The Hyksos had superior military technology. They fought from horse-drawn
chariots, wore body armor, and used a stronger kind bow.
A Time of Invasion
Without armor, the Egyptian foot soldiers were no match for the Hyksos.
In about 1,640 B.C., the Hyksos conquered Lower Egypt.
Hyksos kings ruled Lower Egypt for about 100 years and established Dynasty 15.
Egyptian rulers remained in power only in Upper Egypt.
The time of the Hyksos brought important cultural exchanges in Egypt.
Besides superior weapons, the Hyksos introduced horses, upright looms, and
new musical instrumentsthe lyre and the lute.
In turn, the Hyksos learned hieroglyphs and began to worship Egyptian gods.
Under the Hyksos, Egypt changed in other important ways. The Hyksos greatly
expanded trade routes as far as Crete, now a Greek Island.
In the mid 1,500s B.C., Egyptian rulers in the south declared war on the Hyksos
kings.
The Egyptians regained power and drove the Hyksos into southwestern Asia.