The Eleventh and Twelfth dynasties made up the period known as the Middle Kingdom in Egypt. Though there would again be great building projects, nothing would ever equal the scale of the Old Kingdom's pyramids. What was missing was the system that had made the pyramids possible. The pharaohs were still powerful, but now nomarchs and scribes enjoyed an increasing share of power, a fact symbolized by the much larger number of people who had themselves mummified after death. Also, the disillusionment brought on by the First Intermediate Period had left the Egyptian peopleless committed to the old ways of doing things.
Although his power was not as great as it had been, the pharaoh was still, as people might say in modern times, “running the show.” The kings who followed Mentuhotep II carried
On trade, and sometimes waged war, with other parts of North Africa and the Middle East. In particular, they sought to open trade with the eastern and southeastern regions, along the Red Sea and in what is now Ethiopia. Also, as in the Old Kingdom, they waged war with the people of the Sinai, and with the Libyans, a desert nation to the west.
One of the most powerful kings of this era was Amen-emhet I (ah-min-NIM-het), who established the Twelfth Dynasty in 1937 b. c. Amenemhet had been a vizier, and it appears that he was a usurper (you-SUR-purr)—that is, someone who seizes power. Around the time he ascended to the throne, a book called The Prophecy of Neferti began to circulate. It depicted a scene at the court of Sneferu in which the pharaoh receives a prophecy concerning a future king who will save Egypt. Clearly this predicted savior is Amenemhet.
Several elements of The Prophecy of Neferti are interesting. It is perhaps the first example of propaganda, a type of writing or other art (for instance, posters) that a government uses in order to convince people that the government is good and everything opposed to it is bad. Propaganda would be widely used during the twentieth century, both by free and peaceful governments such as that of the United States and by clearly evil regimes such as those of Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia. Also, The Prophecy of Neferti highlights the concept of legitimacy, which is closely tied to propaganda. Legitimacy simply means that the ruler has a right to rule. In America, the votes of the people give their leaders legitimacy. In ancient Egypt, a leader gained legitimacy by being identified with the gods and the great pharaohs. Because Amenemhet had more or less stolen the throne, it was important for him to gain legitimacy.
No doubt for the same reason, Amenemhet wanted to ensure that there would be a smooth transition to the next ruler, his son Senusret (sin-OOS-ret), or Sesostris I. He shared power with Senusret for about nine years; but in spite of his efforts, Amenemhet was assassinated by a group within his royal court. This group was also hostile to Senusret, who was away at battle when the killing occurred. He did, however, manage to hold on to power.
Many of these events were recorded in another book from the same era, The Story of Sinuhe. The tale was similar to what modern people would call a novel. It portrayed fictional
(that is, invented) characters against a historical backdrop. A modern example of this technique would be the book Gone with the Wind (1936), which made use both of invented characters and real events—specifically, the American Civil War (1861-1865). Another important text from the end of Amen-emhet's reign and the beginning of his son's was The Testament of Amenemhet, sometimes called The Lesson of Amenemhet. Unlike The Story of Sinuhe, this book was not a story, but consisted of the dying king's advice to his son. The book's content could be summed up by the modern expression,”It's lonely at the top.” In the Testament, Amenemhet warns Senusret that a king has few friends and many enemies who are eager to take his power and his life from him.
It might seem ironic that Amenemhet was giving this advice, but in fact he probably had nothing to do with the Testament, which was undoubtedly written after his death. As with The Prophecy of Neferti and The Story of Sinuhe, its author is unknown. These texts, however, point up a key aspect of the Middle Kingdom: the growing significance of the written word.
World History
