Middle Kingdom

(noun)

Egypt in the Twelfth and Thirteenth dynasties, between 2055 BC and 1650 BC.

Related Terms

Examples of Middle Kingdom in the following topics:

  • Tombs of the Middle Kingdom

    • Grand and royal tombs continued to be built for the deceased during the prosperous Middle Kingdom.
    • Royal funerary practices in the Middle Kingdom remained much the same as in the Old Kingdom, with kings continuing to build pyramids for their burials.
    • Unlike the Old Kingdom, however, Middle Kingdom royal pyramids were not quite as well constructed, and so few of them remain as pyramid structures today.
    • Unlike the Old Kingdom, objects of daily use were not often included in the tombs; however, they reappeared toward the end of the Middle Kingdom.
    • Compare and contrast the tombs and burial goods of the Middle Kingdom with those of the Old Kingdom.

  • Sculpture of the Middle Kingdom

    • Innovations during the Middle Kingdom included the solemnity evident in portraits of Senusret III and block statues.
    • The Middle Kingdom (c. 2000-1650 BCE) was marked by the reunification of Egypt following a period of weak pharaonic power and civil war called the First Intermediate.
    • During the Middle Kingdom, relief and portrait sculpture captured subtle, individual details that reached new heights of technical perfection.
    • This sculpture, commissioned by a noblewoman, provides evidence of gender equality among the elite during the Middle Kingdom.
    • Block statues of the Middle Kingdom consisted of a man squatting with his knees drawn up to his chest.

  • Architecture of the Middle Kingdom

    • As the pharaohs of the Middle Kingdom restored the country's prosperity and stability, there was a resurgence of building projects.
    • Grand tombs in the form of pyramids continued to be built throughout the Middle Kingdom, along with villages, cities, and forts.
    • Typical for Middle Kingdom pyramids, the Black Pyramid, although encased in limestone, is made of mud brick and clay instead of stone.
    • Senusret III was a warrior-king who helped the Middle Kingdom reach its height of prosperity.
    • Middle Kingdom pyramids consist of mud brick and clay encased in limestone.

  • Art of the Middle Kingdom

    • The art of China—"The Middle Kingdom"—has arguably the oldest continuous tradition in the world.
    • It was only in the 19th century that the term literally meaning "Middle Kingdom" emerged as the formal name of the country.
    • Discuss the painting, sculpture, pottery, and decorative arts of the Middle Kingdom.

  • Stelae of the Middle Kingdom

    • They also served as doorway lintels as early as the third millennium BCE, most famously decorating the home of Old Kingdom architect Hemon.
    • Much of what we know of the kingdoms and administrations of Egyptian kings are from the public and private stelae that recorded bureaucratic titles and other administrative information.
    • The most famous of these would be used at Amarna during the New Kingdom under Akhenaten.
    • For much of Egyptian history, including the Middle Kingdom, obelisks erected in pairs were used to mark the entrances of temples.

  • Introduction to Ancient Egyptian Art

    • The Old Kingdom is the name given to the period in the third millennium BCE when Egypt attained its first continuous peak of civilization in complexity and achievement—the first of three so-called "Kingdom" periods which mark the high points of civilization in the lower Nile Valley (the others being Middle Kingdom and the New Kingdom).
    • During the Old Kingdom, the king of Egypt (not called the Pharaoh until the New Kingdom) became a living god, who ruled absolutely and could demand the services and wealth of his subjects.
    • For this reason, the Old Kingdom is frequently referred to as "the Age of the Pyramids."
    • The Middle Kingdom of Egypt is the period in the history of ancient Egypt stretching from the establishment of the Eleventh Dynasty to the end of the Thirteenth Dynasty, between 2055 and 1650 BCE.
    • Create a timeline of ancient Egyptian civilization, marking the Old, Middle, and New Kingdoms

  • The Hittites

    • The Hittite kingdom was centred on the lands surrounding Hattusa and Neša, known as "the land Hatti. " After Hattusa was made the capital, the area encompassed by the bend of the Halys River was considered the core of the Empire.
    • The Hittite kingdom is conventionally divided into three periods, the Old Hittite Kingdom (ca. 1750–1500 BCE), the Middle Hittite Kingdom (ca. 1500–1430 BCE) and the New Hittite Kingdom (the Hittite Empire proper, 1430–1180 BCE).
    • "Neo-Hittite" post-Empire states, petty kingdoms under Assyrian rule, may have lingered on until ca. 700 BCE.

  • Architecture of the New Kingdom

    • The golden age of the New Kingdom created huge prosperity for Egypt and allowed for the proliferation of monumental architecture.
    • Starting with Hatshepsut, buildings were of a grander scale than anything previously seen in the Middle Kingdom.
    • The design of Ramses's mortuary temple adheres to the standard canons of New Kingdom temple architecture.
    • Great monuments and temples were often decorated with elaborate relief sculpture during the New Kingdom.
    • Explain why the New Kingdom is considered the golden age of Ancient Egyptian art

  • Art and Architecture in the Kingdom of Kush

    • The Kingdom of Kush was an ancient African state whose art and architecture were inspired by Egyptian design, but were distinctly African.
    • The Kingdom of Kush was an ancient African state situated on the confluences of the Blue Nile, White Nile, and River Atbara in what is now the Republic of Sudan.
    • Established after the Bronze Age collapse and the disintegration of the New Kingdom of Egypt, Kush was centered at Napata in modern day northern Sudan in its early phase, and then moved further south to Meroë in 591 BCE.
    • The reign of the Twenty-Fifth Dynasty ushered in a renaissance period for ancient Egypt, and art and architecture emulating the styles of the Old, Middle, and New Kingdoms flourished.
    • Evaluate the influence of both Egyptian and African art on the art produced by the Kingdom of Kush

  • Ancient Africa

    • During the middle of the twentieth century, anthropologists discovered many fossils and evidence of human occupation perhaps as early as seven million years ago.
    • Egyptian influence reached deeply into modern Libya, north to Crete and Canaan, and south to the kingdoms of Aksum and Nubia.
    • In the forested regions of the West African coast, independent kingdoms such as the Nri Kingdom of the Igbo grew up with little influence from the Muslim north.
    • Following the breakup of Mali, the Songhai Empire was founded in the region of middle Niger and the western Sudan.
    • This map depicts a sample of the diverse cultures, kingdoms, and empires of pre-colonial Africa.