Eleventh Dynasty of Egypt

Eleventh Dynasty of Egypt
c. 2150 BC–c. 1991 BC
Funerary stele of Intef II, on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Capital	Thebes
Common languages	Egyptian language
Religion	ancient Egyptian religion
Government	Absolute monarchy
Historical era	Bronze Age
• Established	c. 2150 BC
• Disestablished	c. 1991 BC
Preceded by Succeeded by Eighth Dynasty of Egypt Tenth Dynasty of Egypt Twelfth Dynasty of Egypt

The Eleventh Dynasty of ancient Egypt (notated Dynasty XI; c. 2150 BC – c. 1991 BC) is a well-attested group of rulers. Its earlier members before Pharaoh Mentuhotep II are grouped with the four preceding dynasties to form the First Intermediate Period, whereas the later members are considered part of the Middle Kingdom. They all ruled from Thebes in Upper Egypt.

The relative chronology of the 11th Dynasty is well established by contemporary attestations and, except for count Intef and Mentuhotep IV, by the Turin canon.^[1]

Manetho's statement that the 11th Dynasty consisted of 16 kings, who reigned for 43 years is contradicted by contemporary inscriptions and the evidence of the Turin King List, whose combined testimony establishes that this kingdom consisted of seven kings who ruled for a total of 143 years.^[2] However, his testimony that this dynasty was based at Thebes is verified by the contemporary evidence. It was during this dynasty that all of ancient Egypt was united under the Middle Kingdom.

This dynasty traces its origins to a nomarch of Thebes, "Intef the Great, son of Iku",^[1] who is mentioned in a number of contemporary inscriptions. However, his immediate successor Mentuhotep I is considered the first king of this dynasty.

An inscription carved during the reign of Wahankh Intef II shows that he was the first of this dynasty to claim to rule over the whole of Egypt, a claim which brought the Thebans into conflict with the 10th-Dynasty rulers of Herakleopolis Magna. Intef undertook several campaigns northwards, and captured the important nome of Abydos.

Warfare continued intermittently between the Theban and Heracleapolitan dynasts until shortly before the 39th regnal year of Nebhepetre Mentuhotep II, when the Herakleopolitans were defeated, and this dynasty could begin to consolidate their rule. The rulers of the 11th Dynasty reasserted Egypt's influence over her neighbors in Africa and the Near East. Mentuhotep II sent renewed expeditions to Phoenicia to obtain cedar. Sankhkare Mentuhotep III sent an expedition from Coptos south to the land of Punt.

The reign of its last king, and thus the end of this dynasty, is something of a mystery. Contemporary records refer to "seven empty years" following the death of Mentuhotep III, which correspond to the reign of Nebtawyre Mentuhotep IV. Modern scholars identify his vizier Amenemhat with Amenemhat I, the first king of 12th Dynasty, as part of a theory that Amenemhat became king as part of a palace coup. The only certain details of Mentuhotep's reign was that two remarkable omens were witnessed at the quarry of Wadi Hammamat by the vizier Amenemhat. Nobody knows for certain how Amenemhat I rose to power and became the next pharaoh.

Initially the rulers of the Eleventh Dynasty were only Nomarchs but starting during the reign of Intef I they declared themselves pharaohs

Nomarchs of Dynasty XI

Nomarchs	Image	Reign	Burial	Consort(s)	Comments
Intef the Elder		c. 2150 BC	Dra' Abu el-Naga, Thebes		First ruler of Dynasty XI
Mentuhotep I		2134 BC – ?	Dra' Abu el-Naga?	Neferu I	Considered Pharaoh by later members of the Eleventh Dynasty and posthumously given the Horus name Tepy-a, meaning "the ancestor"
Intef I		?–2118 BC	El-Tarif, Thebes		Possible Son of Mentuhotep I, later became pharaoh

Pharaohs of Dynasty XI

Pharaoh	Horus name	Image	Reign	Burial	Consort(s)	Comments
Intef I	Sehertawy		?–2118 BC	El-Tarif, Thebes		Possible Son of Mentuhotep I
Intef II	Wahankh		2118–2069 BC	El-Tarif, Thebes	Neferukayet?	Brother of Intef I
Intef III	Nakhtnebtepnefer		2069–2060 BC	El-Tarif, Thebes	Iah	Son of Intef II
Nebhepetre Mentuhotep II	Seankhibtawy (originally) Netjerihedjet (later, pre-reunification); Sematawy (later, post-reunification)		2060–2009 BC	Deir el-Bahari	Tem Neferu II Ashayet Henhenet Kawit Kemsit Sadeh	Son of Intef III and Iah. Reunifies Egypt starting the Middle Kingdom.
Sankhkare Mentuhotep III	Sankhtawyef		2009–1997 BC	Deir el-Bahari[3]		Son of Mentuhotep II and Tem
Nebtawyre Mentuhotep IV	Nebtawy		1997–1991 BC			Son of Queen Imi (and possibly Mentuhotep III?)

Pharaohs Mentuhotep II and Mentuhotep III are the most commonly included kings of this dynasty to appear on Egyptian king lists, while their successor Mentuhotep IV was often ignored. The Karnak King List provides the most complete surviving list of names for the eleventh dynasty, beginning with the nomarch Intef the Elder, whose name is the only one on this list that does not have a cartouche because he never reigned as Pharaoh, and ending with Mentuhotep IV, one of the few lists to include him. Several names are lost and damaged, but can still be reconstructed.

The Turin King List begins this dynasty with Mentuhotep I and provides reign lengths for individual kings, however it is in a fragmentary state and some information is now lost. Mentuhotep IV is not mentioned at all, but the list does note "a lacuna of 7 years" following Mentuhotep III.^[4]

• Eleventh Dynasty of Egypt family tree
• Middle Kingdom of Egypt

• Media related to 11th dynasty of Egypt at Wikimedia Commons