The Middle Kingdom
For two hundred years conflict within the kingdom continued Invaders crossed the deserts and disrupted life. Irrigation projects fell into ruin and civil war raged as three ambitious families tried to set up their own government. About 2100 B.c. Amenemhet I reunited Egypt. He was not able to bring all the nobles under his control. He did however win their support because of the good foreign trade contacts he made. Under the rulers of the Middle Kingdom Egypt's government moved in a different direction. Instead of spending large sums of money to build mighty monuments the pharaohs began rebuilding the country. An irrigation projects was completed adding thousands of square acres of farmland.
Trade
Foreign trade was very important. The Egyptians developed four main trade routes. The first was of course the Nile River itself. Another was in the Mediterrainean Sea where Egyptian merchants stopped at Cyprus, Crete, Rhodes, Sicily, Sardinia, Ugarit, and other commercial ports. Overland caravans traveld to the cities in the Tigris-Euphrates Valley area and from there into Europe. Finally the pharaohs built two canals one at Wadi Hammamot near Thebes and the other at Wadi Tumilat the northern tip of the Red Sea. These marvels of engineering genius connected the Red Sea to the Nile River and opened Arabia and eastern Africa to trade. As a result of trade and wise leadership Egypt prospered. The fine arts were encouraged and once again colossal buildings statures and monuments were built all over the country.
Grain
Grain coming to the government as taxes was stored at a special storage cities. When other countries suffered famine the Egyptians would sell surplus food to them. This added greatly to the wealth of the country.
Joseph
It was probably during the Middle Kingdom that Abraham's grandson Jacob left the land of Canaan(present-day Israel) and moved to Egypt because of a famine. Jacob learned that his son Joseph who was thought to be dead was Prime Minister of Egypt. Joseph gave land in Goshen a fertile area along the Nile Delta to the seventy members of his family. Almost 400 years passed before Jacob's descendants left Egypt and returned to Canaan. They had progressed greatly over the years and in Canaan started anew civilization.
Rise of the middle class
Perhaps one of the greatest social changes t take place during the Middle Kingdom was the rise of the middle class. As trade became more important the pharaoh needed men to help him with all the records and the organization of the trade. The rich nobles though this work to humble and refused to help. From the middle class came ambitious men trained as scribes who were anxious to help the pharaoh and gain wealth and position. As a result of the common people taking important roles in government a significant change was made in religion. ( your will remember that only the pharaoh and his favorite nobles were allowed to build homes for their life after death.) It was decided that everyone could join the afterlife and could build a tomb to provide for this future life. Those in the middle class who could afforded them began to build small tombs in the desert area around the pyramids of the great pharaohs.
Music
Musicians were in great demand by Egyptians. Both men and women entered the profession.
Art
Egyptian tombs were elaborately painted with scenes to show how dedicated the deceased person was to certain gods.
Ankh
An ankh is a symbol of eternal life. It was originated by the Egyptians who believed that life continued after death.
Egypt Invaded
Egypt had become rich but she had neglected her defenses depending upon the deserts to keep her enemies out. The Egyptian army was poorly armed and badly trained. In addition the last pharaoh of the Middle Kingdom was not an able ruler. Rich but weak Egypt was a prize too tempting to be left alone by her neighbors. Out of the desert area of what is now Arabia and Syria came a fierce and warlike people called the Hyksos. This tribe's name means "asiatics" and the Egyptians had never faced such enemies. They had war chariots pulled by horses the likes of which the Egyptians had never seen before. They also used a two-edged dagger and sword and shot a powerful double-curved bow with bronze-tipped arrows. The Egyptian with there clumsy spears and heavy armor were no match for the warlike Hyksos as they swept through Egypt. Cities were quickly conquered and looted. To the Egyptians the hyksos were like locust that stripped their farmlands of grain. Then instead of taking their loot and leaving the Kyksos settled in Egypt and made their headquarters at Tanis-Avaris in the Nile Delta. For a time they allowed a puppet pharaoh to sit on the throne of Egypt but he took his orders from the Kyksos. By 1785 B.C. the Hyksos were in absolute control of Egypt.