Editing Middle Kingdom of Egypt (section)

==Political history==
===Periods of ancient Egypt===
{{Ancient Egypt graphical timeline}}

===Reunification under the Eleventh Dynasty===
{{further|Eleventh Dynasty of Egypt}}
[[File:MentuhotepII.jpg|thumb|left|400px|A painted relief depicting pharaoh [[Mentuhotep II]], from his mortuary temple at [[Deir el-Bahari]]]]
[[File: Mentuhotep Seated edit.jpg|thumb|left|150px|An [[Osiris|Osiride]] statue of the first pharaoh of the Middle Kingdom, Mentuhotep II]]
After the collapse of the [[Old Kingdom]], Egypt entered a period of weak pharaonic power and decentralization called the [[First Intermediate Period]].<ref name=" Grimal 156">[[#Grimal1988|Grimal. (1988)]] p. 156</ref> 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 [[Cataracts of the Nile|First Cataract]] to the Tenth Nome of Upper Egypt. To the north, Lower Egypt was ruled by the rival [[Tenth Dynasty of Egypt|Tenth Dynasty]] from [[Heracleopolis Magna|Herakleopolis]].<ref name="Grimal 155">[[#Grimal1988|Grimal. (1988)]] p. 155</ref> The struggle was to be concluded by [[Mentuhotep II]], who ascended the Theban throne in 2055 BC.<ref name=" Shaw 149">[[#Shaw2000|Shaw. (2000)]] p. 149</ref> 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.<ref name="Grimal 155"/> After toppling the last rulers of the Tenth Dynasty, Mentuhotep began consolidating his power over all of Egypt, a process that he finished by his 39th regnal year.<ref name="Grimal 156"/> For this reason, Mentuhotep II is regarded as the founder of the Middle Kingdom.<ref name="Habachi 16-52">[[#Habachi1963|Habachi. (1963)]] pp. 16–52</ref>

Mentuhotep II commanded petty campaigns as far south as the Second Cataract in [[Nubia]], which had gained its independence during the [[First Intermediate Period]]. He also restored Egyptian hegemony over the Sinai region, which had been lost to Egypt since the end of the Old Kingdom.<ref name=" Grimal 157">[[#Grimal1988|Grimal. (1988)]] p. 157</ref> To consolidate his authority, he restored the cult of the ruler, depicting himself as a god in his own lifetime, wearing the headdresses of [[Amun]] and [[Min (god)|Min]].<ref name="Shaw 151">[[#Shaw2000|Shaw. (2000)]] p. 151</ref> He died after a reign of 51 years and passed the throne to his son, [[Mentuhotep III]].<ref name=" Grimal 157"/>

Mentuhotep III reigned for only twelve years, during which he continued consolidating Theban rule over the whole of Egypt, building a series of forts in the eastern Delta region to secure Egypt against threats from Asia.<ref name=" Grimal 157"/> He also sent the first expedition to Punt during the Middle Kingdom, using ships constructed at the end of Wadi Hammamat, on the Red Sea.<ref name=" Shaw 156">[[#Shaw2000|Shaw. (2000)]] p. 156</ref> Mentuhotep III was succeeded by [[Mentuhotep IV]], whose name, significantly, is omitted from all ancient Egyptian king lists.<ref name="Redford 71">[[#Redford1992|Redford. (1992)]] p. 71.</ref> The [[Turin King List]] claims that after Mentuhotep III came "seven kingless years".<ref name="Gardiner 124">[[#Gardiner1964|Gardiner. (1964)]] p. 124.</ref> Despite this absence, his reign is attested from a few inscriptions in [[Wadi Hammamat]] that record expeditions to the [[Red Sea]] coast and to quarry stone for the royal monuments.<ref name=" Redford 71"/> The leader of this expedition was his vizier Amenemhat, who is widely assumed to be the future pharaoh [[Amenemhet I]], the first king of the [[Twelfth dynasty of Egypt|Twelfth Dynasty]].<ref name=" Redford 72">[[#Redford1992|Redford. (1992)]] p. 72.</ref><ref name="Gardiner 125">[[#Gardiner1964|Gardiner. (1964)]] p. 125.</ref>

Mentuhotep IV's absence from the king lists has prompted the theory that Amenemhet I usurped his throne.<ref name=" Gardiner 125"/> While there are no contemporary accounts of this struggle, certain circumstantial evidence may point to the existence of a civil war at the end of the 11th Dynasty.<ref name=" Redford 71"/> Inscriptions left by one Nehry, the [[Haty-a]] of [[Hermopolis]], suggest that he was attacked at a place called Shedyet-sha by the forces of the reigning king, but his forces prevailed. [[Khnumhotep I]], an official under Amenemhet I, claims to have participated in a flotilla of twenty ships sent to pacify Upper Egypt. [[Donald Redford]] has suggested these events should be interpreted as evidence of open war between two dynastic claimants.<ref name=" Redford 74">[[#Redford1992|Redford. (1992)]] p.74</ref> What is certain is that, however he came to power, Amenemhet I was not of royal birth.<ref name="Gardiner 125"/>

===Twelfth Dynasty===
{{main|Twelfth Dynasty of Egypt}}

====Early Twelfth Dynasty====
[[File: Ägyptisches Museum Leipzig 104.jpg|thumb|150px|The head of a statue of Senusret I.]]
[[File:GuardianStatueofAmenemhmatII.jpg|thumb|A figure wearing the red crown of Lower Egypt and whose face appears to reflect the features of the reigning king, most probably [[Amenemhat II]] or [[Senwosret II]]. It functioned as a divine guardian for the [[Imiut fetish|imiut]], and it is wearing a divine kilt, which suggests that the statuette was not merely a representation of the living ruler.<ref>{{cite web |title=Guardian Figure |url=https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/543864 |website=www.metmuseum.org |publisher=[[Metropolitan Museum of Art]] |access-date=9 February 2022}}</ref>]]

From the Twelfth Dynasty onwards, pharaohs often kept well-trained standing armies, which included [[Nubian people|Nubian]] contingents. These formed the basis of larger forces that were raised for defense against invasion, or expeditions up the Nile or across the Sinai. However, the Middle Kingdom was basically defensive in its military strategy, with fortifications built at the [[First Cataract]] of the Nile, in the Delta and across the Sinai Isthmus.<ref>p5. 'The Collins Encyclopedia of Military History', (4th edition, 1993), Dupuy & Dupuy.</ref>

Early in his reign, Amenemhet I was compelled to campaign in the Delta region, which had not received as much attention as Upper Egypt during the 11th Dynasty.<ref name="Arnold 20">[[#Arnold1991|Arnold. (1991)]] p. 20.</ref> Also, he strengthened defenses between Egypt and Asia, building the Walls of the Ruler in the East Delta region.<ref name=" Shaw 148">[[#Shaw2000|Shaw. (2000)]] p. 148</ref> Perhaps in response to this perpetual unrest, Amenemhat I built a new capital for Egypt in the north, known as [[Itjtawy|Amenemhet It Tawy]], or ''Amenemhet, Seizer of the Two Lands''.<ref name="Arnold 14">[[#Arnold1991|Arnold. (1991)]] p. 14.</ref> The location of this capital is unknown, but is presumably near the city's necropolis, the present-day [[el-Lisht]].<ref name="Shaw 158">[[#Shaw2000|Shaw. (2000)]] p. 158</ref> Like Mentuhotep II, Amenemhet bolstered his claim to authority with propaganda.<ref name="Grimal 159">[[#Grimal1988|Grimal. (1988)]] p. 159</ref> In particular, the [[Prophecy of Neferty]] dates to about this time, which purports to be an oracle of an Old Kingdom priest, who predicts a king, Amenemhet I, arising from the far south of Egypt to restore the kingdom after centuries of chaos.<ref name="Shaw 158"/>

Propaganda notwithstanding, Amenemhet never held the absolute power commanded in theory by the Old Kingdom pharaohs. During the First Intermediate Period, the governors of the [[Nome (Egypt)|nomes]] of Egypt, [[nomarch]]s, gained considerable power. Their posts had become hereditary, and some nomarchs entered into marriage alliances with the nomarchs of neighboring nomes.<ref name="Gardiner 128">[[#Gardiner1964|Gardiner. (1964)]] p. 128.</ref> To strengthen his position, Amenemhet required registration of land, modified nome borders, and appointed nomarchs directly when offices became vacant, but acquiesced to the nomarch system, probably to placate the nomarchs who supported his rule.<ref name=" Grimal 160">[[#Grimal1988|Grimal. (1988)]] p. 160</ref> This gave the Middle Kingdom a more feudal organization than Egypt had before or would have afterward.<ref name=" Gardiner 129">[[#Gardiner1964|Gardiner. (1964)]] p. 129.</ref>

In his twentieth regnal year, Amenemhat established his son [[Senusret I]] as his coregent,<ref name=" Gardiner 129"/> beginning a practice which would be used repeatedly throughout the rest of the Middle Kingdom and again during the New Kingdom. In Amenemhet's thirtieth regnal year, he was presumably murdered in a palace conspiracy. Senusret, campaigning against Libyan invaders, rushed home to Itjtawy to prevent a takeover of the government.<ref name="Shaw 160">[[#Shaw2000|Shaw. (2000)]] p. 160</ref> During his reign, Senusret continued the practice of directly appointing nomarchs,<ref name=" Shaw 175">[[#Shaw2000|Shaw. (2000)]] p. 175</ref> and undercut the autonomy of local priesthoods by building at cult centers throughout Egypt.<ref name=" Shaw 162">[[#Shaw2000|Shaw. (2000)]] p. 162</ref> Under his rule, Egyptian armies pushed south into Nubia as far as the Second Cataract, building a border fort at [[Buhen]] and incorporating all of [[Lower Nubia]] as an Egyptian colony.<ref name="Shaw 161">[[#Shaw2000|Shaw. (2000)]] p. 161</ref> Senusret I also exercised control over the land of Kush, from the Second to the Third Cataract, including the island of Sai. The southernmost inscription containing Sesostris I's name has been found on the island of Argo, north of modern Dongola.<ref>{{Cite book |title= A History of Ancient Egypt |last= Grimal|first= Nicolas|publisher= Wiley-Blackwell (July 19, 1994) |year= 1994 |pages=164}}</ref> To the west, he consolidated his power over the Oases, and extended commercial contacts into Syria-Canaan as far as [[Ugarit]].<ref name=" Grimal 165">[[#Grimal1988|Grimal. (1988)]] p. 165</ref> In his 43rd regnal year, Senusret appointed [[Amenemhet II]] as junior coregent, before dying in his 46th.<ref name="Murnane 5">[[#Murnane1977|Murnane. (1977)]] p. 5.</ref>

{{multiple image|perrow=2|total_width=450|caption_align=center
| align    = right
| direction =vertical
| image1   = Procession of the Aamu, Tomb of Khnumhotep II (composite).jpg
| image2   = Drawing of the procession of the Aamu group tomb of Khnumhotep II at Beni Hassan.jpg
| footer=A group of West Asiatic peoples (possibly [[Canaan]]ites and precursors of the future [[Hyksos]]) depicted entering Egypt {{Circa|1900 BC}}. From the tomb of a 12th dynasty official [[Khnumhotep II]] under pharaohs [[Amenemhat II]] and [[Senusret II]], at [[Beni Hasan]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Mieroop |first1=Marc Van De |title=A History of Ancient Egypt |date=2010 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |isbn=978-1-4051-6070-4 |page=131 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JADDYAZ9GIIC&pg=PA131 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Bard |first1=Kathryn A. |author-link=Kathryn A. Bard |title=An Introduction to the Archaeology of Ancient Egypt |date=2015 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |isbn=978-1-118-89611-2 |page=188 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lFscBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA188 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Kamrin |first1=Janice |title=The Aamu of Shu in the Tomb of Khnumhotep II at Beni Hassan |journal=Journal of Ancient Egyptian Interconnections |date=2009 |volume= 1 |issue=3 |s2cid=199601200 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Curry |first1=Andrew |title=The Rulers of Foreign Lands - Archaeology Magazine |website=www.archaeology.org |date=2018 |url=https://www.archaeology.org/issues/309-1809/features/6855-egypt-hyksos-foreign-dynasty}}</ref>
}}
The reign of [[Amenemhat II]] has been often characterized as largely peaceful,<ref name="Grimal 165"/> but records of his {{transliteration|ar|genut}}, or daybooks, have cast doubt on that assessment.<ref name="Shaw 163">[[#Shaw2000|Shaw. (2000)]] p. 163</ref> Among these records, preserved on temple walls at Tod and Memphis, are descriptions of peace treaties with certain Syrio-Canaanian cities, and military conflict with others.<ref name=" Shaw 163"/> To the south, Amenemhet sent a campaign through lower Nubia to inspect [[Historical names of Nubia#Egyptians|Wawat]].<ref name=" Grimal 165"/> It does not appear that Amenemhet continued his predecessors' policy of appointing nomarchs, but let it become hereditary again.<ref name=" Shaw 175"/> Another expedition to Punt dates to his reign.<ref name=" Shaw 163"/> In his 33rd regnal year, he appointed his son [[Senusret II]] coregent.<ref name=" Murnane 7">[[#Murnane1977|Murnane. (1977)]] p. 7.</ref>

Evidence for military activity of any kind during the reign of Senusret II is non-existent. Senusret instead appears to have focused on domestic issues, particularly the irrigation of the [[Faiyum Oasis|Faiyum]]. This multi-generational project aimed to convert the Faiyum oasis into a productive swath of farmland.<ref name="Shaw 164">[[#Shaw2000|Shaw. (2000)]] p. 164</ref> Senusret eventually placed his pyramid at the site of [[el-Lahun]], near the junction of the Nile and the Fayuum's major irrigation canal, the [[Bahr Yussef]].<ref name=" Gardiner 138">[[#Gardiner1964|Gardiner. (1964)]] p. 138.</ref> He reigned only fifteen years,<ref name="Grimal 166">[[#Grimal1988|Grimal. (1988)]] p. 166</ref> which explains the incomplete nature of many of his constructions.<ref name="Shaw 164"/> His son [[Senusret III]] succeeded him.

====Height of the Middle Kingdom====
[[File:Senwosret III, ca. 1836-1818 B.C.E. Granite.jpg|thumb|150px|One of the few intact statues of Senusret III]]
[[Senusret III]] was a warrior-king, often taking to the field himself. In his sixth year, he re-dredged an Old Kingdom canal around the First Cataract to facilitate travel to [[Upper Nubia]]. He used this to launch a series of brutal campaigns in Nubia in his sixth, eighth, tenth, and sixteenth years. After his victories, Senusret built a series of massive forts throughout the country to establish the formal boundary between Egyptian conquests and unconquered Nubia at [[Semna]].<ref name="Shaw 166">[[#Shaw2000|Shaw. (2000)]] p. 166</ref> The personnel of these forts were charged to send frequent reports to the capital on the movements and activities of the local [[Medjay]] natives, some of which survive, revealing how tightly the Egyptians intended to control the southern border.<ref name="Gardiner 136">[[#Gardiner1964|Gardiner. (1964)]] p. 136.</ref> Medjay were not allowed north of the border by ship, nor could they enter by land with their flocks, but they were permitted to travel to local forts to trade.<ref name="Gardiner 135">[[#Gardiner1964|Gardiner. (1964)]] p. 135.</ref> After this, Senusret sent one more campaign in his 19th year but turned back due to abnormally low Nile levels, which endangered his ships.<ref name="Shaw 166"/> To the north, One of Senusret's soldiers records a campaign into Canaan, perhaps against [[Shechem]], the only reference to a military campaign against a certain location in Cannan from Middle Kingdom literature,<ref name="Redford 76">[[#Redford1992|Redford. (1992)]] p. 76</ref> although there are other references to action against Asiatics.<ref>{{Cite book|title= Egypt, Canaan and Israel: History, Imperialism, Ideology and Literature (Culture and History of the Ancient Near East)|last1= Bar|first1= S.| last2= Kahn|first2= D. |last3= Shirley|first3= J.J. |publisher= BRILL |year= 2011 |pages=198}}</ref> It is not known whether Egypt wished to control Canaan like Northern Nubia, but numerous administrative seals of the period have been found there, as well as other indications of increased activity Northward in this period.<ref>[https://www.britannica.com/place/ancient-Egypt/The-Middle-Kingdom-1938-c-1630-bce-and-the-Second-Intermediate-period-c-1630-1540-bce The Middle Kingdom (1938–c. 1630 BCE) and the Second Intermediate period (c. 1630–1540 BCE)]</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|title= Overlooked Evidence for Sesostris III's Foreign Policy |last= Gee |first= John |journal= Journal of the American Research Center in Egypt |year= 2004 |volume= 41 |pages=23–31|doi= 10.2307/20297185 |jstor= 20297185 }}</ref> As in the old kingdom, the contact was particularly strong with [[Byblos]], known for its valuable wood.<ref>{{Cite book |title= The Oxford Handbook of the Archaeology of the Levant: c. 8000-332 BCE |last1= Steiner |first1= Margreet L. |last2= Killebrew|first2=Ann E. |publisher= Oxford University Press |year= 2014 |pages= 72–73}}</ref>

[[File:Indus carnelian bead UC30334 Egypt Middle Kingdom London, Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology.jpg|thumb|left|A rare [[etched carnelian bead]] excavated in Egypt, and thought to have been imported from the [[Indus Valley civilization]] through [[Mesopotamia]], in an example of [[Egypt-Mesopotamia relations]]. [[Abydos, Egypt|Abydos]] tomb 197, Late Middle Kingdom. Now in [[Petrie Museum]] ref. UC30334, [[London]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Grajetzki |first1=Wolfram |title=Tomb 197 at Abydos, Further Evidence for Long Distance Trade in the Middle Kingdom |journal=Ägypten und Levante / Egypt and the Levant |date=2014 |volume=24 |pages=159–170 |doi=10.1553/s159 |jstor=43553796}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Stevenson |first1=Alice |title=Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology: Characters and Collections |date=2015 |publisher=UCL Press |isbn=9781910634042 |page=54 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DEZLDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT54 |language=en}}</ref>]]
Domestically, Senusret has been given credit for an administrative reform that put more power in the hands of appointees of the central government, instead of regional authorities.<ref name=" Shaw 166"/> Egypt was divided into three ''water'', or administrative divisions: North, South, and Head of the South (perhaps [[Lower Egypt]], most of [[Upper Egypt]], and the nomes of the original Theban kingdom during the war with [[Heracleopolis Magna|Herakleopolis]], respectively). Each region was administered by a [[Reporter (Ancient Egypt)|Reporter]], Second Reporter'','' some kind of council (the ''Djadjat''), and staff of minor officials and scribes.<ref name="Hayes 32">[[#Hayes1953|Hayes. (1953)]] p. 32</ref> The power of the nomarchs seems to drop off permanently during his reign, which has been taken to indicate that the central government had finally suppressed them, though there is no record that Senusret ever took direct action against them.<ref name=" Shaw 166"/>

Senusret III left a lasting legacy as a warrior pharaoh. His name was Hellenized by later Greek historians as Sesostris, a name which was then given to a conflation of Senusret and several New Kingdom warrior pharaohs.<ref name=" Shaw 260">[[#Shaw1995|Shaw and Nicholson. (1995)]] p. 260</ref> In Nubia, Senusret was worshiped as a patron God by Egyptian settlers.<ref name="Aldred 129">[[#Aldred1987|Aldred. (1987)]] p.129</ref> The duration of his reign remains something of an open question. His son [[Amenemhet III]] began reigning after Senusret's 19th regnal year, which has been widely considered Senusret's highest attested date.<ref name="Wegner 250">[[#Wegner1996|Wegner. (1996)]] p. 250</ref> However, a reference to a year 39 on a fragment found in the construction debris of Senusret's mortuary temple has suggested the possibility of a long coregency with his son.<ref name=" Wegner 260">[[#Wegner1996|Wegner. (1996)]] p. 260</ref>

[[File:Ägypten 1999 (237) Luxor-Museum (28186790096).jpg|thumb|150px|One of the few intact statues of Amenemhat III]]
The reign of [[Amenemhat III]] was the height of the Middle Kingdom's economic prosperity. His reign is remarkable for the degree to which Egypt exploited its resources. Mining camps in the Sinai, which had previously been used only by intermittent expeditions, were operated on a semi-permanent basis, as evidenced by the construction of houses, walls, and even local cemeteries.<ref name=" Grimal 170">[[#Grimal1988|Grimal. (1988)]] p. 170</ref> There are 25 separate references to mining expeditions in the Sinai, and four to expeditions in Wadi Hammamat, one of which had over two thousand workers.<ref name="Grajetzki 60">[[#Grajetzki2006|Grajetzki. (2006)]] p. 60</ref> Amenemhet reinforced his father's defenses in Nubia<ref name="Shaw 168">[[#Shaw2000|Shaw. (2000)]] p. 168</ref> and continued the Faiyum land reclamation project.<ref name="Shaw 169">[[#Shaw2000|Shaw. (2000)]] p. 169</ref>
After a reign of 45 years, Amenemhet III was succeeded by [[Amenemhet IV]],<ref name="Grimal 170"/> whose nine-year reign is poorly attested.<ref name="Shaw 170">[[#Shaw2000|Shaw. (2000)]] p. 170</ref> Clearly by this time, dynastic power had begun to weaken, for which several explanations have been proposed. Contemporary records of the Nile flood levels indicate that the end of the reign of Amenemhet III was dry, and crop failures may have helped to destabilize the dynasty.<ref name="Shaw 169"/> Further, Amenemhet III had an inordinately long reign, which tends to create succession problems.<ref name="Grimal 171">[[#Grimal1988|Grimal. (1988)]] p. 171</ref> The latter argument perhaps explains why Amenemhet IV was succeeded by [[Sobekneferu]], the first historically attested female pharaoh of Egypt.<ref name=" Grimal 171"/> Sobekneferu ruled no more than four years,<ref name=" Shaw 171">[[#Shaw2000|Shaw. (2000)]] p. 171</ref> and as she apparently had no heirs, when she died the Twelfth Dynasty came to a sudden end as did the Golden Age of the Middle Kingdom.

===Decline into the Second Intermediate Period===
[[File:KneelingStatueOfSobekhotepV-AltesMuseum-Berlin.png|thumb|upright|150px|A [[kneeling]] statue of Sobekhotep V, one of the pharaohs from the declining years of the Middle Kingdom.]]
After the death of Sobeknefru, the throne may have passed to [[Sekhemre Khutawy Sobekhotep]],<ref>[[Kim Ryholt|K.S.B. Ryholt]]: ''The Political Situation in Egypt during the Second Intermediate Period, c.1800–1550 BC'', Carsten Niebuhr Institute Publications, vol. 20. Copenhagen: Museum Tusculanum Press, 1997</ref><ref>Darrell D. Baker: ''The Encyclopedia of the Pharaohs: Volume I – Predynastic to the Twentieth Dynasty 3300–1069 BC'', Stacey International, {{ISBN|978-1-905299-37-9}}, 2008</ref> though in older studies [[Wegaf]], who had previously been the Great Overseer of Troops,<ref name="Grajetzki 66">[[#Grajetzki2006|Grajetzki. (2006)]] p. 66</ref> was thought to have reigned next.<ref name="Grimal 183">[[#Grimal1988|Grimal. (1988)]] p. 183</ref> Beginning with this reign, Egypt was ruled by a series of ephemeral kings for about ten to fifteen years.<ref name="Grajetzki 64">[[#Grajetzki2006|Grajetzki. (2006)]] p. 64</ref> Ancient Egyptian sources regard these as the first kings of the [[Thirteenth dynasty of Egypt|Thirteenth Dynasty]], though the term dynasty is misleading, as most kings of the Thirteenth Dynasty were not related.<ref name="Grajetzki 65">[[#Grajetzki2006|Grajetzki. (2006)]] p. 65</ref> The names of these short-lived kings are attested on a few monuments and [[Graffito (archaeology)|graffiti]], and their succession order is only known from the [[Turin Canon]], although even this is not fully trusted.<ref name="Grajetzki 64"/>

After the initial dynastic chaos, a series of longer-reigning, better-attested kings ruled for about fifty to eighty years.<ref name="Grajetzki 64"/> The strongest king of this period, [[Neferhotep I]], ruled for eleven years and maintained effective control of Upper Egypt, Nubia, and the Delta,<ref name="Grajetzki 71">[[#Grajetzki2006|Grajetzki. (2006)]] p. 71</ref> with the possible exceptions of [[Xois]] and [[Avaris]].<ref name="Shaw 172">[[#Shaw2000|Shaw. (2000)]] p. 172</ref> Neferhotep I was even recognized as the suzerain of the ruler of Byblos, indicating that the Thirteenth Dynasty was able to retain much of the power of the Twelfth Dynasty, at least up to his reign.<ref name=" Shaw 172"/> At some point during the 13th Dynasty, Xois, and Avaris began governing themselves,<ref name=" Shaw 172"/> the rulers of Xois being the Fourteenth Dynasty, and the Asiatic rulers of Avaris being the [[Hyksos]] of the Fifteenth Dynasty. According to [[Manetho]], this latter revolt occurred during the reign of Neferhotep's successor, [[Sobekhotep IV]], though there is no archaeological evidence.<ref name="Grajetzki 72">[[#Grajetzki2006|Grajetzki. (2006)]] p. 72</ref> Sobekhotep IV was succeeded by the short reign of [[Sobekhotep V]], who was followed by [[Wahibre Ibiau]], then [[Merneferre Ai]]. Wahibre Ibiau ruled ten years, and Merneferre Ai ruled for twenty-three years, the longest of any Thirteenth Dynasty king, but neither of these two kings left as many attestations as either Neferhotep of Sobekhotep IV. Despite this, they both seem to have held at least parts of Lower Egypt. After Merneferre Ai, however, no king left his name on any object found outside the south.<ref name="Grajetzki 74">[[#Grajetzki2006|Grajetzki. (2006)]] p. 74</ref> This begins the final portion of the Thirteenth Dynasty when southern kings continue to reign over Upper Egypt. But when the unity of Egypt fully disintegrated, the Middle Kingdom gave way to the [[Second Intermediate Period]].<ref name="Grajetzki 75">[[#Grajetzki2006|Grajetzki. (2006)]] p. 75</ref>
[[File:GD-EG-Louxor-116.JPG|thumb|Head of a statue of [[Senusret III]]]]