Editing Middle Kingdom of Egypt (section)

==Agriculture and climate==
{{quote box|align=right|width=25%|quote=''It was I who brought forth grain, the grain god loved me,''<br />
''the Nile adored me from his every source;''<br />
''One did not hunger during my years, did not thirst;''<br />
''they sat content with all my deeds, remembering me fondly;''<br />
''and I set each thing firmly in its place.''<ref name="Foster 88">[[#Foster2001|Foster. (2001)]] p. 88</ref>|source=extract from the [[Instructions of Amenemhat]]}}

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.<ref name="Bell 227">[[#Bell1975|Bell. (1975)]] p. 227</ref> 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.<ref name="Bell 230">[[#Bell1975|Bell. (1975)]] p. 230</ref> 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.<ref name="Bell 263">[[#Bell1975|Bell. (1975)]] p. 263</ref> This seems to be confirmed in some of the literature of the period, such as in the [[Instructions of Amenemhat]], where the king tells his son how agriculture prospered under his reign.<ref name="Foster 88"/>