A Study of Pharaonic Power in Egypt (Introduction)

Amenemhat I - Order is Power (introduction to essay)

The Middle Kingdom was a very important and significant period in Ancient Egyptian history. It witnessed a complete rebirth in culture, especially in literature and has been hailed as a renaissance. The founder of the Middle Kingdom [1] was the Pharaoh King Amenemhat I [2,3], and his succession to the throne signalled an immense change and a beginning to a new era. Amenemhat I restored order, prosperity and stability to a newly united Upper and Lower Egypt, which has just ascended from the chaos and disorder of the First Intermediate Period. Amenemhat I’s reign was exemplified by such features of the centralization of government, the reorganization of the administrative system, co-regency with his son Senusret I [4], as well as the colonization and conquests in Nubia and Libya along with the construction of defensive eastern frontier border forts that prevented Asiatic incursions. Thus Amenemhat I’s reign can be broken into two elements; that of internal affairs and external affairs. Fundamentally Amenemhat I had a firmly established and stable base of power, which remained even after his assassination at the hands of a court conspiracy, with his son and successor being able to avert the attempted coup due to the firmly established order. Henri Amiel [5] once proposed that “Order is Power”. This statement can be readily and straightforwardly applied to Amenemhat I’s reign and his execution of power.

[1]Historians generally begin the Middle Kingdom with Amenemhat I’s 12th Dynasty, as it had more defined changes and is considered more sophisticated compared to the 11th Dynasty
[2]There are numerous variations to the name, such as Amenemhet I and the Greek Historian Manetho’s version Ammenemes I, however for the issue of consistency Amenemhat I shall be used
[3]Not of royal family line, and generally accepted as the same Amenemhat the vizier of the 11th Dynasty
[4]Evidence suggest that Senusret I did not become coregent until year 20 of Amenemhat I’s reign
[5]Henri Frederic Amiel, born 27/09/1821, died 11/05/1881, was a prominent Swiss philosopher, academic, poet and critic. He travelled widely and studied moral philosophy. An illustrious piece of work is Private Journal