Changes

Mentuhotep II (ruled ca. 2055-2004 BC) continued the war that began during the rule of his predecessor, Inyotef, and brought it to a conclusion some time late in his reign. During the thirty-ninth year of his rule, Mentuhotep II took the Horus name (Egyptian kings would take up to five names), “Horus Sematawy,” which means “Horus the Unifier of the Two Lands,” indicating that he won the war against Heracleopolis around that time. <ref> Grajetzki, p. 19</ref> In later periods of Egyptian history, Mentuhotep II was celebrated as one of the greatest pharaohs, along with Menes/Narmer (reigned ca. 3100 BC), who was the first king of the unified Egyptian state, and Ahmose (ruled ca. 1552-1525 BC), who expelled the Hyksos from Egypt and ushered in the New Kingdom. The exact details of the conflict’s end remain a mystery for the most part. Other than to laud Mentuhotep II as a great king, the New Kingdom texts give few details. A tomb known as the “Tomb of the Warriors,” which was located not far from Mentuhotep II’s mortuary complex at Deir el-Bahri, gives some archaeological context to the war. The corpses seem to have all been ceremonially buried with their weapons as a show of respect for those who fought for the king to unify Egypt. <ref> Callender, Gae. “The Middle Kingdom Renaissance (c. 2055-1650 BC).” In <i>The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt.</i> Edited by Isan Shaw. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000), pgs. 150-1</ref> Once Mentuhotep II defeated Heracleopolis, he immediately set to work reorganizing the Egyptian state, giving it new vitality and the ability to expand beyond its natural borders.

====The Creation of the Middle Kingdom State====

[[File: KarnakTempleEntrance.jpg|300px|thumbnail|left|The Karnak Temple in Thebes]]

There is also evidence to suggest that Mentuhotep II led a military campaign into the Levant. <ref> Grajetzki, p. 20</ref> Although Mentuhotep II’s military activities were minor compared those in the New Kingdom, or even in the Twelfth Dynasty for that matter, his efforts were enough to spur later actions that helped to establish the precedent of Middle Kingdom Egypt as an ancient imperial power.

====The End of the Eleventh Dynasty====