Mentuhotep II Reunites Egypt

The First Intermediate Period ended with a southern victory. Mentuhotep II of Thebes came to the throne c. 2055 BC, and during his long reign (to c. 2004 BC) he defeated the kings of Herakleopolis and ruled the whole country again. Historians begin the Middle Kingdom with his reign.

Key idea

Mentuhotep II of Thebes, a king of the 11th Dynasty, defeated the Herakleopolitan kings and reunited Egypt. The Middle Kingdom begins with his reign (c. 2055 BC), even though his dynasty had already been ruling in the south.

The 11th Dynasty begins in the First Intermediate Period at Thebes and continues into the Middle Kingdom.

Why it works

A period label marks a change in the state, not in the family. The 11th Dynasty began as one of two rival houses. When one of its kings ruled all of Egypt again, the historical situation changed, so historians start a new period with him while keeping Manetho's dynasty number. That is why the 11th Dynasty appears in two periods.

How we know

Mentuhotep II changed his Horus name more than once during his reign. One of his later names, Sematawy, means "he who unites the Two Lands", which suggests the reunion came partway through his reign. Tombs at Thebes hold soldiers who seem to have died in battle, and inscriptions of his officials tell of campaigns. Later Egyptians remembered him as the founder of a new age.

His monument

Mentuhotep II built a new kind of royal tomb and temple at Deir el-Bahari, in a bay of the cliffs on the west bank at Thebes: terraces, colonnades and a central building, with his tomb cut deep into the rock behind. About five centuries later, Hatshepsut built her own terraced temple right beside it, perhaps inspired by it.

Deir el-Bahari on the west bank at Thebes, where Mentuhotep II's temple stands beside Hatshepsut's.

Worked example: Which dynasty, which period?

Mentuhotep II's father, also an 11th Dynasty king, ruled only the south. In which period did the father reign, and in which period did Mentuhotep II's reunited reign fall?

Before the reunion, Egypt was divided: that is the First Intermediate Period.
Mentuhotep II's reign is where historians start the Middle Kingdom.
Both kings belong to the 11th Dynasty.

Answer: The father: the First Intermediate Period. Mentuhotep II: the start of the Middle Kingdom. Same dynasty, different periods.

Common mistake

Expecting a new kingdom to start with a new dynasty. Mentuhotep II was already a king of the 11th Dynasty; the period changes because Egypt became one state again, not because a new family took over.

Mentuhotep II Reunites Egypt

How we know

His monument

Practice

Builds on

Leads to

Sources and further reading