Achievements and Weaknesses of the Middle Kingdom and Its Downfall
In Ancient Egypt, the Middle Kingdom is seen as one of its finest ages. This is because it was a time of ‘expanding political strength’ and ‘broader economic horizons’[1]. Generally thought to be from approximately 2000 B.C. to 1780 B.C.,[2] it was during the Twelfth Dynasty that Egyptians opened a wide trade amongst other countries, improved agricultural systems, fortified and expanded Egyptian borders with a strong military reputation, and explore the arts and literature to a depth which Egyptians had not previously. The Middle Kingdom has little weaknesses, but these did not prevent its gradual downfall.
For Ancient Egypt, a significant advantage of the Middle Kingdom was its trade with other countries. In Palestine and Lower Syria, Egyptian artifacts of the Twelfth Dynasty kings have been found[3] and in the ancient story ‘The Story of Sinuhe’, it is documented that the king or pharaoh sent his envoys to Syria on regular journeys. In Crete, artifacts of the Middle Kingdom were also excavated[4]. The kings of this period ordered increased mining in the Sinai mining centres to raise their turquoise and copper ore stores. In foreign trade, many of these stalls were used.
Foreign trade was but one indication of Egypt’s prosperity during this time. The vast improvement of Egypt’s agricultural system was another. The Faiyum, which was a vast expanse of swampland[5], was close to Egypt’s new capital, Itjtaway. The powerful kings of the Twelfth Dynasty, though ‘devoted a good deal of attention to the land reclamation and hydraulic engineering to this region’[6], through a great amount of effort. The kings of the dynasty turned the Faiyum into a superior water supply, using a system of ‘canals, dikes and catch-basins’[7].
During the Middle Kingdom, Egypt expanded and fortified its borders, as it was a force to be reckoned with. Threats from nearby countries such as Nubia increased, and the Egyptian kings of the Middle Kingdom expanded the land they
For Ancient Egypt, a significant advantage of the Middle Kingdom was its trade with other countries. In Palestine and Lower Syria, Egyptian artifacts of the Twelfth Dynasty kings have been found[3] and in the ancient story ‘The Story of Sinuhe’, it is documented that the king or pharaoh sent his envoys to Syria on regular journeys. In Crete, artifacts of the Middle Kingdom were also excavated[4]. The kings of this period ordered increased mining in the Sinai mining centres to raise their turquoise and copper ore stores. In foreign trade, many of these stalls were used.
Foreign trade was but one indication of Egypt’s prosperity during this time. The vast improvement of Egypt’s agricultural system was another. The Faiyum, which was a vast expanse of swampland[5], was close to Egypt’s new capital, Itjtaway. The powerful kings of the Twelfth Dynasty, though ‘devoted a good deal of attention to the land reclamation and hydraulic engineering to this region’[6], through a great amount of effort. The kings of the dynasty turned the Faiyum into a superior water supply, using a system of ‘canals, dikes and catch-basins’[7].
During the Middle Kingdom, Egypt expanded and fortified its borders, as it was a force to be reckoned with. Threats from nearby countries such as Nubia increased, and the Egyptian kings of the Middle Kingdom expanded the land they
Bibliography: [1] Lionel Casson, Great Ages of Man, New York, Time Inc., 1969, 12. [3] Cyril Aldred, The Egyptians, London, Thames and Hudson, 1961, 112. [8] Casson, op.cit., 53 [9] T.G.H James, An Introduction to Ancient Egypt, London, British Museum Publications Ltd, 1979, 53-54 [12] Gae Callender, Eye of Horus, Melbourne, Longman Cheshire Pty Ltd, 1993, 10. [15] Nicolas Grimal, A History of Ancient Egypt, Oxford, Blackwell Publishers, 1992, 181. [16] Ibid., 171 [17] Miriam Lichteim, Ancient Egyptian Literature - Book of Readings I: Old and Middle Kingdom, Berkley, 1973 [24] Pamela Bradley, Ancient Egypt: Reconstructing the Past, United Kingdom, Cambridge University Press, 1999 [25] World Book Encyclopedia, ‘H’ Volume 9, Chicago, World Book Inc., 2006