Tessa+Chapman+essay

Ancient Egypt Middle Kingdom Rise and Golden Age Essay: The rise of the Middle Kingdom was only made possible by the great battle of Mentuhotep II when he defeated the Heracleopolitan kings of Lower Egypt, reuniting the country once again. After Mentuhotep II became pharaoh, beginning the Middle Kingdom, Egypt became extremely prosperous. Trade relations between other countries increased greatly as well as buildings and other historical monuments were erected. Egypt was once again a leading country that had a booming economy, all because one leader had taken control and did what was best for his country. __I think we can learn how important it is to have a great leader especially in times of trouble.__

The successful start of the Middle Kingdom would not have happened if Mentuhotep II had not defeated the Heracleopolitan Kings. The battle between Upper and Lower Egypt had been raging on for years, making Egypt weaker as a whole until Mentuhotep II finally deafeated the Heracleopolitan Kings. This is very much like World War II. The success of the allied forces in the war, is greatly because of Winston Churchill. His clever thinking and strategic planning during the worst of it all allowed his country to defeat the Nazis. Both rulers brought their countries together when their country and people needed them the most.

What made the Middle Kingdom such a successful part of Egyptian History is that it became one nation again. Pharaoh Senusret I recaptured Nubia, expanding the Egyptians land and control over other countries. This gained respect for Egypt and its leaders. It was a country that was not easily shaken by war and stood strong. The importance to be a strong unified country, that trusts its leader is extremely important even to this day. An example of this would be President Barack Obama. Americans elected him to be their president because they trust that he will lead them out of a recession and put America back on top.

Although there were many Pharaohs who had a grave impact on the Middle Kingdom, Senusret III is by far one of the greatest Pharaohs of the Middle Kingdom. He helped restore the power of the Pharaoh, which in Egypt is the most important thing to help keep a country running. He also commissioned the building of many of the temples and pyramids that still reside in Egypt today. Senusret III was the first Pharaoh to build fortresses throughout Egypt to establish boundaries and to keep foreigners out. I don’t think elected leaders take as many risks now than Pharaohs did back in Ancient Egypt. This may be from increased public scrutiny, but in order to run a country you can’t be afraid to take risks if it will benefit your country in the long run.

The Ancient Egyptians have enriched our culture in many ways. They gave us the pyramids and mummies, beautiful reliefs as well as amazing tombs filled with treasure. But they also gave us the wealth about how important a great leader is. We’ve watched as nations have fallen because of lack of government control. Let’s take a page out of the Ancient Egyptian’s book and work through this recession by trusting our leaders and working together.