Mentuhotep II

Defeated the local lords and reunified Upper and Lower Egypt.

Life

Took the throne amid division

Mentuhotep II came from a local dynasty of Thebes. When he came to the throne, Egypt had endured nearly a century of division during the First Intermediate Period: the Herakleopolitan regime in the north and the Theban lords in the south had been locked in a prolonged standoff, central royal authority existed in name only, and war raged frequently along the Nile.

Northern campaign and unification

During his reign he led a northern expedition, defeated the Herakleopolitan regime and reunified Upper and Lower Egypt, restoring the pharaoh's direct rule over the whole country, which is regarded as the beginning of the Middle Kingdom. He also reorganized the administration, appointing officials loyal to the crown in place of the independent local lords, and sent troops to restore control over northern Nubia.

Mortuary temple and sources

The mortuary temple he built at Deir el-Bahari combined the forms of the traditional pyramid and the rock-cut tomb, and served as the direct model for the site and design of Hatshepsut's later temple. Because few official records from the period survive, the dates and order of his campaigns are largely inferred from archaeological dating and scattered inscriptions, and the details remain uncertain.

Legacy

Mentuhotep II ended the division of the First Intermediate Period and was regarded by the ancient Egyptians as the restorer of the state; New Kingdom commemorative reliefs placed him alongside Menes, the legendary unifier, and Ahmose, who expelled the Hyksos. He raised Thebes from a provincial town to a national political and religious center, and for more than a thousand years afterward Thebes remained one of Egypt's most important cities.

Major works & achievements

• Defeated the Herakleopolitan regime
• Reunified Upper and Lower Egypt
• Restored control over northern Nubia
• Built the mortuary temple at Deir el-Bahari

Did you know? During his reign of about fifty years he changed his Horus name several times, and scholars often use these changes to divide his rule into distinct phases.

Key dates

• 2061 BCEBecame King of Thebes
• 2055 BCELaunched a northern expedition against Herakleopolis
• 2040 BCEUnified Upper and Lower Egypt
• 2025 BCERestored control over northern Nubia
• 2015 BCEUndertook major temple and tomb building
• 2010 BCEDied