Middle Kingdom of Egypt: Map & History
Three millennia of monumental civilization anchored along the fertile banks of the Nile, famed for pyramids, astronomical calendars, and divine kingship.
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The Middle Kingdom of Egypt is the period in the history of ancient Egypt following a period of political division known as the First Intermediate Period. The Middle Kingdom lasted from approximately 2040 to 1782 or 1700 BC, stretching from the reunification of Egypt under the reign of Mentuhotep II in the Eleventh Dynasty to the end of the Twelfth Dynasty or the mid Thirteenth Dynasty. The kings of the Eleventh Dynasty ruled from Thebes and the kings of the Twelfth and Thirteenth Dynasties ruled from el-Lisht.
Modern Countries Once Part of Middle Kingdom of Egypt
At its mapped extent, Middle Kingdom of Egypt covered territory in 1 present-day country. The period shown is when the mapped borders include that country, and the note says how much of it.
States and Provinces
Largest Present-Day Cities in Its Territory
Each opens on the live map inside Middle Kingdom of Egypt's borders of that time.
Derived by testing mapped cities against this polity's dated territorial polygons, so the list is indicative and follows the borders in the source dataset.
Middle Kingdom of Egypt in Depth
Political history
After the collapse of the Old Kingdom, Egypt entered a period of weak pharaonic power and decentralization called the First Intermediate Period. Towards the end of this period, two rival dynasties, known in Egyptology as the Tenth and Eleventh, fought for control of the entire country. The Theban Eleventh Dynasty only ruled southern Egypt from the First Cataract to the Tenth Nome of Upper Egypt. To the north, Lower Egypt was ruled by the rival Tenth Dynasty from Herakleopolis. The struggle was to be concluded by Mentuhotep II, who ascended the Theban throne in 2055 BC. During Mentuhotep II's fourteenth regnal year, he took advantage of a revolt in the Thinite Nome to launch an attack on Herakleopolis, which met little resistance.
Agriculture and climate
Throughout the history of ancient Egypt, the annual inundation of the Nile River was relied upon to fertilize the land surrounding it. This was essential for agriculture and food production. There is evidence that the collapse of the previous Old Kingdom may have been due in part to low flood levels, resulting in famine. This trend appears to have been reversed during the early years of the Middle Kingdom, with relatively high water levels recorded for much of this era, with an average inundation of 19 meters above its non-flood levels. The years of repeated high inundation levels correspond to the most prosperous period of the Middle Kingdom, which occurred during the reign of Amenemhat III.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Middle Kingdom of Egypt (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Middle Kingdom of Egypt: Key Facts
| Capitals | Thebes, Itjtawy |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2040 BCE |
| Dissolved | 1782 BCE |
Preceded by
- First Intermediate Period of Egypt
Succeeded by
- Second Intermediate Period of Egypt
Facts from Wikidata Q191324 (CC0).
Middle Kingdom of Egypt Map Over Time
Dated world maps on which Middle Kingdom of Egypt appears, with the other states of the time.
Imperial History & Territorial Expansion
Unified around 3100 BCE by King Narmer, Ancient Egypt was fundamentally shaped by the annual inundation of the Nile River, which deposited nutrient-rich black silt along the desert margins. From the Old Kingdom pyramid builders at Giza to the New Kingdom military expeditions of Thutmose III and Ramesses II, Egyptian statecraft balanced internal religious order (Maat) with expansive trade into Nubia and the Levant.
Middle Kingdom of Egypt Timeline
Key historical inflections from foundation to peak territorial expansion
Upper and Lower Egypt unified into the First Dynasty with the White and Red crowns.
Pharaoh Khufu completes the 146-meter limestone pyramid at Giza.
Seventeen victorious campaigns extend Egyptian hegemony to the Euphrates River.
Ramesses II fights the Hittite Empire in the largest chariot battle in history.
Death of Cleopatra VII; Egypt is annexed as the personal province of Octavian Augustus.
Key Monarchs, Architects & Strategists
Enduring Planetary Legacy
- ✓Invention of the 365-day solar calendar dividing the year into 12 months
- ✓Monumental stone architecture and surveying techniques for building the Pyramids
- ✓Hieroglyphic and papyrus writing revolutionizing administration and literature
- ✓Early medical treatises documenting surgery, anatomy, and pharmaceuticals
Middle Kingdom of Egypt: Frequently Asked Questions
When did Middle Kingdom of Egypt exist?
Middle Kingdom of Egypt is dated to 3100 BCE – 30 BCE, in the Bronze Age Civilizations era.
What was the capital of Middle Kingdom of Egypt?
The capital of Middle Kingdom of Egypt was Memphis (Old Kingdom), Thebes (Middle/New Kingdom), Alexandria (Ptolemaic).
How large was Middle Kingdom of Egypt at its peak?
At its peak in 1450 BC Middle Kingdom of Egypt covered about 433,182 km².
Geographic Lifelines
Other Sovereign Realms
Bronze Age Civilizations • Capital: Memphis
Bronze & Iron Age Civilizations • Capital: Ecbatana
Bronze & Iron Age Civilizations • Capital: Kamianka
Bronze & Iron Age Civilizations • Capital: Quanqiu, Qinyi, Qian, Pingyang, Yong, Jingyang, Yueyang, Xianyang