The Middle Kingdom (comprising the eleventh to thirteenth dynasties in the chronological scheme favoured by Egyptologists) is perhaps the least known but most intriguing period of ancient Egyptian history. Like the Old Kingdom which preceded it, and the New Kingdom which followed, it was an era of strong central government and economic prosperity, when a vibrant royal court produced a great flowering of pharaonic culture.
But, unlike those other two periods, the Middle Kingdom has left no great monuments to dazzle us. There are a few surviving twelfthdynasty pyramids, but they are small and rudimentary in comparison with their Old Kingdom antecedents. There are also a few temple buildings from the Middle King dom, but they pale into insignificance alongside such New Kingdom marvels as Karnak or Luxor. Instead of monumental stone buildings, Middle Kingdom culture expressed itself most creatively in other art forms: small-scale sculpture, exquisite jewellery, and extraordinary works of literature. These may not have the immediate visual impact of a pyramid or a temple, but they paint a picture, nonetheless, of an era of great innovation and achievement.
Close inspection
