Middle Kingdom
Mentuhotep II (Nebhepetre)
11th Dynasty (all Egypt) · 2055-1985 BCE
Open full-size illustration →Full profile
The great unifier
Mentuhotep II is universally recognized as the founder of the Middle Kingdom. In his 14th regnal year, he launched a final, devastating offensive that completely crushed the 10th Dynasty in Herakleopolis. For the first time since the collapse of the Old Kingdom centuries prior, Egypt was reunited under a single sovereign.
Evolving titles
As his power expanded, he altered his royal titles multiple times to reflect his growing authority, ultimately adopting the Horus name "He who unites the two lands." He ruthlessly stripped rebellious nomarchs of their power, centralizing control back in the hands of the pharaoh.
The masterpiece at Deir el-Bahari
He abandoned the traditional pyramid structures of the Old Kingdom. Instead, he commissioned a spectacular, innovative mortuary temple at Deir el-Bahari in Thebes. This multi-terraced masterpiece seamlessly blended into the natural limestone cliffs and served as the direct architectural inspiration for Hatshepsut's famous temple centuries later.