Mentuhotep II
Nebhotepre
Mentuhotep II (2046-1995 BCE) was a
Pharaoh of the
11th dynasty, the son of
Intef III of Egypt and a minor queen called Iah. His own wife was the 'king's mother' Tem. Other wives were Neferu (his sister) and five women buried in his funerary complex. The only known son is Mentuhotep III.
The king changed in his reign several times his name, perhaps reflecting important political events. His throne name was
Nebhepetra, and he was the first ruler of the
Middle Kingdom of Egypt. He is known to have ruled 51 years.
In the 14th year of his reign there is attested an uprising in This. This was perhaps connected with a war of Mentuhotep II against the rival
10th dynasty at
Herakleopolis Magna. Little is known of the events.
Mentuhotep reunited
ancient Egypt in the following years for the first time since the
6th dynasty. The exact date of this unification is still unknown.
He is also known for commanding military campaigns south into
Nubia, which had gained its independence during the
First Intermediate Period. There is also evidence for military actions against Palestine.
The king reorganised the country and placed a vizier at the head of the administration. The
viziers of his reign were Bebi and Dagi. Treasurer was Khety who was involved in the sed festival of the king. He was followed by
Meketre. General was a certain Intef known from his Theban tomb.
He was buried in a tomb he had erected at
Deir el-Bahri. Mentuhotep II built temples and chapels at several places in Upper Egypt.
*W. Grajetzki,
The Middle Kingdom of Ancient Egypt: History,Archaeology and Society, Duckworth, London 2006 ISBN 0715634356, 18-23
*Labib Habachi: King Nebhepetre Menthuhotep: his monuments, place in history, deification and unusual representations in form of gods.
Annales du Service des Antiquités de l'Égypte 19 (1963), p. 16-52
*
"The Mortuary Temple of Mentuhotep II on the West Bank at Luxor", Tour Egypt, accessed December 1, 2005
