Ancient World
First Intermediate Period: Collapse of Egypt's Old Kingdom
Egypt was divided between rival dynasties until the Theban king Mentuhotep II reunited the country and founded the Middle Kingdom.
Region
Africa
Ancient World
Mentuhotep II and the Reunification of Egypt (c. 2055 BC)
Mentuhotep II defeated the Herakleopolitan kingdom, reunited Egypt under Theban rule and is regarded as the founder of the Middle Kingdom.
Ancient World
Karnak Temple Complex: Two Thousand Years of Building at Thebes
Karnak became the largest temple complex of ancient Egypt and the religious centre of the state god Amun-Ra for some two thousand years.
Ancient World
Story of Sinuhe: Masterpiece of Ancient Egyptian Literature
The tale became a classic of Egyptian literature, copied by scribes for centuries, and is now regarded as one of the finest works to survive from ancient Egypt.
Ancient World
Senusret III: Warrior Pharaoh of Egypt's Middle Kingdom
Egypt's southern frontier was fixed at Semna, guarded by a chain of fortresses, and royal power over the provinces was strengthened.
Ancient World
Pyramid of Amenemhat III at Hawara and the Egyptian Labyrinth
Amenemhat III's final pyramid and the huge temple beside it, later famous to Greek and Roman visitors as the Labyrinth.
Ancient World
Sobekneferu: First Confirmed Female Pharaoh of Egypt
She ruled as a fully titled female king for nearly four years; her death ended the Twelfth Dynasty.
Ancient World
Hyksos in Egypt: Foreign Kings of the Second Intermediate Period
A dynasty of West Asian origin ruled northern Egypt for about a century before being driven out by the Theban kings around 1550 BC.
Ancient World
Edwin Smith Papyrus: Ancient Egypt's Surgical Textbook
A practical manual of 48 cases of injuries that is the oldest known surgical text and an early example of systematic medical observation.
Ancient World
Book of the Dead: Ancient Egyptian Spells for the Afterlife
The standard collection of funerary texts in Egypt for some 1,500 years, giving the best-known picture of Egyptian beliefs about judgement and the afterlife.
Ancient World
Rhind Mathematical Papyrus: Mathematics in Ancient Egypt
The largest surviving ancient Egyptian mathematical text, and the main source for how Egyptians calculated with fractions, areas and volumes.
Ancient World
Ahmose I and the Expulsion of the Hyksos (c. 1550 BC)
The Hyksos capital Avaris fell, Egypt was reunited under Theban rule and the Eighteenth Dynasty began the New Kingdom.