Senwosret I continued the economic and social growth of the dynasty by expanding southwards, sending expeditions to Asia, and for the first time conducting frequent trade with Syria. The "royal mortuary cult" or a supreme reverence for the pharaoh also re-emerged under his rule, although by this time certain rituals previously reserved for the nobility had diffused into the populace. Most notably, Senwosret I’s rule of approximately 34 years established a single unified material culture in ancient Egypt, intentionally reminiscent of the Old Kingdom. The importance of a unified culture cannot be underestimated. When the citizens of a state are allied in their general beliefs and way of life, they are more willing to being directed and governed. Periods of weakness during ancient Egypt were marred by the effects of independent cultural centers grasping for power, which usually resulted in the transition of pharaohs and dynasties.

The similarly long rule of Senwosret I’s son, Amenemhat II (1911-1877), appeared to be consistent with that of his father—though less remarkable. The rule of Amenemhat II’s son, Senwosret II (1877-1870), was comparatively short, probably due to his advanced age from the two somewhat lengthy preceding reigns. Yet, these were good years. Under Senwosret II there was a distinct lack of military action—or perhaps only of records—permitting more time to be spent focused on other affairs of the state including a prolific Near Eastern trade and the institution of an irrigation system in the Faiyum region. After Senwosret II, what has been called the "high Middle Kingdom" (c. 1870-1777) commenced with the reign of Senwosret III (see image of Senwosret III).

Senwosret III, or Khakaure, reigned for 19 to 39 years with the exact dates difficult to establish. This was, without doubt, a very prosperous time for Egypt. Some of the earliest records of his reign are from his eighth year when the pharaoh had his master builder, Ronpetenenkh, clear a canal at the First Cataract 150 cubits long by 20 cubits wide by 15 cubits deep in order to sail his armies up the river into Nubia. Khakaure personally led his armies to many great military victories and most importantly secured the Nubian frontier up to the Second Cataract. There he established two major forts, Semneh and Kummeh, one on each side of the river. Later, the pharaoh re-extended the limits of the empire up to the Third Cataract at Kerma, which had been reached some 600 years prior but was not able to be controlled. From the trading post he had set up at Aswan and from his fort at Elephantine Island, Senwosret III held the restless Kush people at bay and eventually became a patron deity in Nubia, the land he had ruthlessly conquered. While most of Senwosret’s military activity was concentrated in the south, other monuments recorded his personal ventures east to the Red Sea and Somaliland, north to re-open the copper mines of Sinai, and west into the Libyan Desert.

Distinct trends within the culture and most visibly within architecture and funerary practices emerged based on the changing dynamics of the society. Each scholar that has researched Senwosret III has encountered statues and other stone likenesses of him that, for the first time in ancient Egypt, depicted a pharaoh with non-idealized facial features. Many of the representations of Senwosret reveal the portrait of a worldly man, not a god-incarnate. Also under Senwosret's reforms the middle class began to actively participate in the "cult of Osiris" and the belief of the existence of a "ba" or spiritual force that had formerly been strictly reserved for the pharaohs. Although not certain, this also appears to be the time when the mummiform coffin was introduced; whether this was directly associated with the status of the state, however, is not known.

Amenemhat IV, who followed Amenemhat III, may or may not have been his son. Regardless, the new pharaoh ruled for only nine years before his death, in which no major events affecting the Kingdom or Dynasty are known to have taken place. He was succeeded by Queen Sobekneferu who may have been his sister and was probably also his wife. Her four-year-rule seemed to be effective and legitimate, as she is listed in the Turin Canon, but nonetheless she was the last ruler of the 12th Dynasty.

References and Citations:
The above section is excerpted from The Cairo Dahshur Boats. MA thesis, Texas A&M University: College Station. 2005, by Pearce Paul Creasman. The original work contains citations, not found here, and the thesis should be consulted prior to citing this work.