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The Middle Kingdom
2000 BC – 1500 BC
Reuniting the
Kingdom
2180 BC – Civil War (a war between 2
groups in the same place.)
Bad times: drought, crops failed,
famine (food shortage)
No longer 1 king, so nobles fought
for power
2400 BC – Egypt reunited – this is
beginning of Middle Kingdom
High point of Middle kingdom –
Dynasty 12
Reuniting the
Kingdom
Dynasty 12 – begins 1991 BC when
vizier Amenehet from Lower Egypt
become king
He conquered(and those who
followed) northern Nubia
Fort set up to protect region
Built Walls of the Prince (series of
forts) at Northern border to protect
Nile Delta
Nubia
Amenemhet – Dynasty 12
Reuniting the
Kingdom
Dynasty 12 – massive building projects
Middle Kingdom – advances in art and
literature
wall-painting, jewelry, and earliest
literature
Literature not only religious – also about
everyday life
Scarab with turquoise and lapiz lazuli
Finger Rings began to appear.
Trade
Trade increased – caravans
between Egypt and southwestern
Asia, east Africa, and Eastern
Mediterranean region
Egypt had grain to trade and semiprecious stones, they needed wood
and copper.
Copper from Syria , turquoise from
Sinai Peninsula, wood from
Lebanon, gold, ebony, ivory from
Nubia
Trade
Caravans/trade dangerous, but
brought wealth
Cost-benefit analysis = decide
whether risks are worth benefits
A Time of
Invasion
After Dynasty 12 – attacks from
invaders
Rulers weak – 70 kings during
Dynasty 13
People from SW Asia came in –
Egyptians called them Hyksos
(rulers of foreign lands)
A Time of
Invasion
Hyksos brought end to Middle
Kingdom because superior military
horse-drawn chariots, body
armor, stronger bow and arrow
1640 BC – Hyksos conquered Lower
Egypt
Hyksos – Dynasty 15 in Lower Egypt
for 100 years
A Time of
Invasion
Hyksos / Egypt = cultural exchange
Hyksos brought weapons, horses,
looms, lute, and lyre
Hyksos took hieroglyphics,
Egyptian gods
Hyksos also expanded trade routes
to Crete (Greek island)
mid - 1500s BC – Egyptians rulers in
South declared war on the Hyksos.
They ended up driving Hyksos
back to SW Asia
United
Egypt
Hyksos
Civil
War
The Big Idea
Invasion from outsiders leads to cultural
exchange – new ideas go both ways.