Middle Kingdom of Ancient Egypt | DAILY BELLRINGER

Today we're looking at the Middle Kingdom of Ancient Egypt. Hello, welcome to the Daily Bellringer World History. Please don't forget to subscribe and take a look at the questions down in the description. Also, don't forget to check out DailyBellringer.com where you'll find more resources that go with many of the Bellringer videos. The ancient Egyptians were one of the most powerful and influential civilizations of the ancient world. Historians basically divide the history of the Egyptians into three major time periods, the Old Kingdom lasting from around 2700 BC to 2200 BC, the Middle Kingdom from approximately 2050 BC to 1800 BC, and the New Kingdom from about 1550 BC to 1100 BC. In between these periods were the first intermediate from 2200 BC to 2050 BC, and the second intermediate from 1800 BC to 1550 BC. The intermediate periods were periods in which there was civil war and unrest throughout Egypt. At the end of the Old Kingdom period, the central power of the Egyptian pharaohs faded, and the civilization broke into several smaller kingdoms. The Middle Kingdom is considered to begin somewhere around 2050 BC, when Pharaoh Mentuatep II united the kingdoms of Egypt under his rule, unifying Egypt after over 100 years of civil war and unrest. Mentuatep would establish the new capital for the Middle Kingdom in Upper Egypt at the city of Thebes. Mentuatep II led military campaigns against the Nubians to the south of Egypt, and additionally took control of the Sinai Peninsula, furthering Egypt's reach. Mentuatep's successor, Mentuatep III, sent expeditions south on the Red Sea to an area known as Punt in present-day Somalia, again furthering the influence of Egypt over the region. Eventually, Mentuatep's line of pharaohs came to an end with the ascension of Amenemhet I to become pharaoh. Amenemhet moved the capital from Thebes to near-present-day Elist. Pharaohs of the Middle Kingdom continued to expand the boundaries of the kingdom by pushing further south into Nubia and conquering the people by force. Nubia had a variety of resources, such as granite, iron ore, and especially gold, which the Egyptians wanted. Amenemhet's successor, Sesostris I, established Egypt's first standing army as military campaigns to conquer new lands and protecting the borders of the kingdom became a high priority. Pharaoh Sesostris III, who would become the most powerful pharaoh of the Middle Kingdom, personally led armies into Nubia, launching several violent campaigns into the region. Sesostris would have a series of forts constructed that protected the southern border of Egypt and marked the edge of the kingdom from Nubia. Unlike the Old Kingdom, which had been considered the age of pyramids, the Middle Kingdom is considered the Classical or Golden Age of Ancient Egypt, as it is during this time that there were great works of art and writings were done. During the Old Kingdom, artwork and literature had basically been confined to inscriptions and statues created in honor of pharaohs and gods. During the Middle Kingdom, much of the artistic expression began to be focused more on common people of Egypt. Paintings, reliefs, and sculptures of Egyptian people doing everyday things such as fishing, harvesting crops, or walking next to the Nile River became common. There were significant building projects completed as well. The tombs and temples of the pharaohs became less about grand building projects in size, as they did during the Old Kingdom, but now were more focused on designs that blended their temples and tombs into the existing landscape. One example would be the Temple of Mentuatep II near Thebes, or Sesostris, the first construction of the Temple of Amun at Karnak, which much of it still stands today. Late in the Middle Kingdom, Sobeknefru rose to power and would be the first female pharaoh in Egypt's history, although her rule would be relatively short as after her death, the Middle Kingdom began to decline. Indications are that a drought might have taken place that caused food supplies to become limited. Additionally, somewhere around 1600 BC, outside invaders from north of Egypt known as the Hyksos began to push into the northern edges of the kingdom. The Hyksos brought with them superior military technology with horse-drawn chariots. The Egyptians actually adopted much of the Hyksos military technology, as at the same time, the Hyksos also adopted many aspects of Egyptian culture. Nonetheless, by 1800 BC, the Hyksos were firmly in control, and the Middle Kingdom of Ancient Egypt came to an end, and Egypt entered into the Second Intermediate, which would be a period of unrest for over 200 years. So, with that, hopefully you learned something, and thanks for watching.