Mentuhotep II

Mentuhotep II was the sixth ruler of the Eleventh Dynasty of ancient Egypt. He is credited with reuniting Egypt, thus ending the turbulent First Intermediate Period and becoming the first pharaoh of the Middle Kingdom. He reigned for 51 years, according to the Turin King List. He inherited a realm that had already spent some 60 years in intermittent warfare with the Heracleopolitan kingdom, which ruled Middle and Lower Egypt. He launched a campaign against Heracleopolis in his 14th year of reign and succeeded in capturing it by his 39th year. He then changed his titulary to reflect his achievement of unifying the two lands. He also reformed the administration of the country, centralizing the power in Thebes and appointing loyal officials from his hometown. He expanded the trade and diplomacy with foreign countries, such as Nubia, Palestine, and Byblos. He built temples and monuments throughout Upper Egypt, most notably his mortuary temple at Deir el-Bahari, which was an architectural innovation that inspired later pharaohs. He was buried in a large tomb within his temple complex, along with his wives and daughters. He was succeeded by his son Mentuhotep III, who continued his father’s policies and achievements. Mentuhotep II was revered as one of the great unifiers of Egypt, along with the founders of the First and Eighteenth Dynasties.