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25-730: The Kahun Gynaecological Papyrus (also Petrie Medical Papyrus , Kahun Medical Papyrus , Lahun Medical Papyrus , or UC32057 ) is the oldest known medical text in Egyptian history, dated to c. 1825 BCE, during the Twelfth Dynasty . The Papyrus addresses gynecological health concerns, pregnancy, fertility, and various treatments. It was found at El Lahun ( Faiyum , Egypt ) by Flinders Petrie in 1889 and first translated by F. Ll. Griffith in 1893 and published in The Petrie Papyri: Hieratic Papyri from Kahun and Gurob . It

50-470: A destructive civil war. It writes that the sage, Neferti, prophesied that a great king named Ameny (Amenemhat I) would lead a united Egypt out of this tumultuous period. The work also mentions Amenemhat I's mother being from the Elephantine Egyptian nome Ta-Seti . Many scholars in recent years have argued that Amenemhat I's mother was of Nubian origin. Other known works attributed to

75-525: A total of 143 years. 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", who is mentioned in a number of contemporary inscriptions. However, his immediate successor Mentuhotep I

100-489: Is The Story of Sinuhe , of which papyrus copies dating as late as the New Kingdom have been recovered. Some of the existing literature pertaining to the 12th Dynasty are propagandistic in nature. The Prophecy of Neferti establishes a revisionist account of history that legitimizes Amenemhat I’s rule. Written during the reign of Amenemhat I, described a sage’s prophecy given to the 4th Dynasty King Snefru that predicted

125-483: 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

150-676: Is kept in the Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology of the University College London . The later Berlin Papyrus and the Ramesseum Papyrus IV cover much of the same ground, often giving identical prescriptions. The text is divided into thirty-four sections, each section dealing with a specific problem and containing diagnosis and treatment; no prognosis is suggested. Treatments are non-surgical, comprising applying medicines to

175-423: Is often misconstrued as insertion of crocodile dung against the cervix. The context of Column 3, Line 7 depicts another contraception method involving sprinkling honey and natron salt over the woman's womb to prevent pregnancy.    Twelfth Dynasty of Egypt The Twelfth Dynasty was marked by relative stability and development. It has a notably well recorded history for the period. Its first pharaoh

200-600: The Levant . Senusret III's military career contributed to his prestige during the New Kingdom, as he was regarded as a warrior king and even revered as a god in Nubia. One of Senusret III’s significant internal developments was the centralization of administrative power in the kingdom, which replaced the nome system with three large administrative districts that encompassed all of Egypt. Senusret's successor Amenemhat III reaffirmed his predecessor's foreign policy. However, after Amenemhat,

225-419: 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

250-515: The 11th Dynasty is well established by contemporary attestations and, except for count Intef and Mentuhotep IV, by the Turin canon . 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

275-630: The 11th and 12th dynasties to be part of the Middle Kingdom. Known rulers of the Twelfth Dynasty are as follows: This dynasty was founded by Amenemhat I , who may have been vizier to the last king of Dynasty XI , Mentuhotep IV . His armies campaigned south as far as the Second Cataract of the Nile and into southern Canaan . As a part of his militaristic expansion of Egypt, Amenemhat I ordered

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300-604: The 12th Dynasty include: Dynasty XI 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

325-607: The Fayyum later became the basis for the Ptolemaic and Roman efforts that turned the region into the bread basket of the Mediterranean. Finding Nubia had grown restive under the previous rulers, Senusret sent punitive expeditions into that land. As a part of his effort to subdue Nubia, he ordered the construction of several new fortresses as well as the expansion of existing ones along the border with Nubia. He also sent an expedition into

350-510: The Mediterranean, and Africa. He built his mortuary complex near Memphis at Dahshur. Senusret II also reigned during a time of peace. He was the first king to develop the Fayyum Basin for agricultural production. This development was complex, requiring the digging of several canals and the draining of a lake in order to maximize the Fayyum’s agricultural output. The Middle Kingdom development of

375-635: The Nile. In addition to pursuing militaristic expansion, Senusret I was also responsible for internal growth within Egypt. As king, he initiated a considerable amount of building projects across Egypt, including pyramids in Lisht , a temple at Karnak and oversaw the renovation of the kingdoms major temples. Unlike his predecessors, Amenemhat II was king during a time of peace. Under his reign, trade boomed with other states in Asia,

400-624: The Seizer of the Two Lands"), more simply called, Itjtawy . The location of Itjtawy has not been discovered yet, but it is thought to be near the Fayyum , probably near the royal graveyards at el-Lisht . The order of its rulers of the Twelfth Dynasty is well known from several sources: two lists recorded at temples in Abydos and one at Saqqara , as well as lists derived from Manetho's work. A recorded date during

425-671: 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

450-459: The affected body part or swallowing them. The womb is seen as the source of complaints manifesting themselves in other body parts, for which its fumigation is recommended, either by oils and incense or whatever the woman smells roasting, should it cause her to smell roasting. In Column 3, Line 6 of the Papyrus, there are details of a contraception method involving the burning or sprinkling of crocodile dung. The Column 3, Line 6 contraception method

475-577: The construction of multiple military forts in Nubia. He also reestablished diplomatic relations with the Canaanite state of Byblos and Hellenic rulers in the Aegean Sea . He was the father of Senusret I. For the first ten years of his reign, Senusret I ruled as a coregent alongside his father, Amenemhat I. He continued his fathers campaigns into Nubia, expanding Egyptian control to the Third Cataract of

500-422: The energies of this dynasty were largely spent, and the growing troubles of government were left to the dynasty's last ruler, Sobekneferu , to resolve. Amenemhat was remembered for the mortuary temple at Hawara that he built. Amenemhat IV succeeded his father, Amenemhat III, and ruled for approximately nine years. At the time of his death, Amenemhat IV had no apparent heir, leading to Sobekneferu’s ascension to

525-503: The kingdoms administration and agricultural developments in the Fayyum. The Twelfth Dynasty was also responsible for significant expansion of Egyptian borders, with campaigns pushing into Nubia and the Levant. The Twelfth Dynasty is often considered the apex of Egypt's Middle Kingdom. The Middle Kingdom spans the Eleventh , Thirteenth , and Fourteenth dynasties, but some scholars only consider

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550-424: The next in line to rule, died at an early age. Sobekneferu was the last king of the twelfth dynasty. There is no record of her having an heir. She also had a relatively short nearly four year reign and the next dynasty began with a shift in succession, possibly to unrelated heirs of Amenemhat IV. Several famous works of Egyptian literature originated from the 12th Dynasty. Perhaps the best known work from this period

575-517: The reign of Senusret III can be correlated to the Sothic cycle , consequently, many events during this dynasty frequently can be assigned to a specific year. However, scholars now have expressed skepticism in the usefulness of the referred date, due to the fact that location affects observation of the Sothic cycle. Egypt underwent various developments under the Twelfth Dynasty, including the reorganization of

600-416: The throne. Sobekneferu , a daughter of Amenemhat III, was the first known woman to become king of Egypt. She was left with the unresolved governmental issues that are noted as arising during her father's reign when she succeeded Amenemhat IV, thought to be her brother, half brother, or step brother. Upon his death, she became the heir to the throne because her older sister, Neferuptah , who would have been

625-573: Was Amenemhat I and its final was Sobekneferu . The chronology of the Twelfth Dynasty is the most stable of any period before the New Kingdom . The Turin Royal Canon gives 213 years (1991–1778 BC). Manetho stated that it was based in Thebes , but from contemporary records it is clear that the first king of this dynasty, Amenemhat I , moved its capital to a new city named "Amenemhat-itj-tawy" ("Amenemhat

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