Amenemhet brought some much-needed stability to Egypt. On his accession, he travelled up and down the Nile destroying any opposition (something which might suggest that he has assumed the kingship by a means other than natural succession), and also taking out any potential invaders (Asiatics in the north, Nubians in the south). He also set up a new capital some 20 miles or so south of Memphis, but its exact location remains a mystery.

An important innovation by Amenemhet I was the idea of the co-regency. In about year 20 of his reign, he associated his son Senusret with him, and they ruled together for about 10 years until Amenemhet's death (which might have been unnatural, as most sources say he was murdered by his bodyguard).

He built his pyramid at Lisht, not far from his new capital. The inner core was built with small limestone bricks robbed from decaying Old Kingdom monuments. The inner chambers are inaccessible today due to water seepage.

When Amenemhet I was murdered, it seems as if Senusret I (c. 1971 - 1926), his successor, was away fighting with the Libyans in the western desert. As soon as he heard what had happened, he hurried back to Egypt to suppress any coup attempts.

During his reign, he consolidated his father's policies. Gold and agricultural goods came from the south, which was kept under Egyptian control by a series of at least 13 large, well-defended forts, which stretched as far as the 2nd Cataract. Senusret himself led expeditions southwards, and also to desert oases (the first time this had happened).

In the 3rd year of his reign, he rebuilt the temple to Re-Atum at Heliopolis, which included the placing of 2 66ft (20m) high red granite obelisks. 1 of these is still standing today, the oldest one to remain so in Egypt.

Having seen how his father's policy of a co-regency had succeeded in the most trying of circumstances, Senusret took his son Amenemhet as co-regent for the last 3 or so years of his reign. On his death, Senusret was buried in a pyramid at Lisht, 1 mile south of that of his father. Once again, access is denied today by ground water seepage.

Domestic concerns were at the top of Amenemhet II's (c. 1929 - 1895) list of priorities. Egypt's population was burgeoning, and food was becoming a bit scarce. 50 miles west of the Nile was a fertile area known as the Faiyum, to which the Egyptians now looked to provide them with food. To facilitate irrigation and transport to the area, Amenemhet widened the Bahr Yusuf canal, which connected the Faiyum with the Nile.

Trade and diplomacy was the order of the day as far as foreign policy was concerned. There are records of an expedition to the Red Sea and another in year 28 to the land of Punt. Diplomatic gifts were exchanged with the Levant - jewellery bearing Amenemhet II's cartouche has been found in noble tombs in Byblos (Lebanon). South of Luxor, 4 bronze boxes with Amenemhet's cartouche on them were found under a temple, and they contained treasure from the Levant, Greece, Babylon and Mesopotamia.

Amenemhet's pyramid was built at Dashur, and is now a much-eroded mudbrick core.

Senusret II (c. 1897 - 1878) was co-regent with Amenemhet II for a few years before the latter's death. He enjoyed a peaceful reign, and continued to oversee the expansion of agricultural activities in the Faiyum.As with his predecessor, only the mudbrick core of Senusret's pyramid survives today. However, when 1 of the tomb-shafts surrounding the structure was excavated in 1913, large numbers of cosmetic and personal jewellery items were discovered. The "pyramid town", where the people who built the pyramid lived, has also been discovered and excavated. Called Hetep-Senusret at the time (which translates as "Senusret is satisfied"), it seems to have been abandoned suddenly, with the result that much was left behind, including a number of papyri on subjects as diverse as law and gynaecology.

Senusret II's successor was Senusret III (c. 1878 - 1841). Certainly the easiest Middle Kingdom to recognise, with his hooded eyes and careworn features, the sculptures from his reign show a marked departure from the hitherto bland, repetitive representations of pharaoh.

In view of the problems that had led to the breakdown of authority under Pepi II, Senusret sought to curtail the activities of powerful local nomarchs by reforming the governmental system that subjugated nomarchial independence. He divided Egypt into 3 administrative regions - North, South, and Head of the South (which consisted of Elephantine and Lower Nubia), each of which was administrated by a group of staff who reported to a vizier.

Senusret led a series of devastating campaigns into Nubia aimed at securing his southern borders. He wanted to ensure that Nubian mineral reserves and trade routes were under safe Egyptian control. To facilitate access to the south, he had a bypass canal cut around the First Cataract at Aswan. This canal was subsequently repaired and widened in the 8th year of his reign. He led further campaigns to Nubia in years 12 and 15, which resulted in his pushing Egypt's border further south than it had ever been before. Future generations of Nubians would regard Senusret as a god.

We also have evidence of at least 1 campaign into Syria.

The wealth he acquired during these expeditions was put to good use - the renewal and building of temples. 1 of the temples that he repaired was Mentuhotep I's temple at Deir el-Bahari. Senusret himself was buried under his pyramid at Dashur, which today is nothing but an eroded mudbrick core, the harder limestone casing having been robbed in antiquity.

The reign of Amenemhet III (c. 1842 - 1797) saw the apogee of economic growth in the Middle Kingdom. The potential of the Faiyum aroused yet more interest as ever-increasing amounts of food were required to feed the population. A temple was erected there to the area's crocodile god, Sobek. Amenemhet also saw to it that Egypt's quarries and Sinai's turquoise mines were exploited as much as possible - there are more than 50 surviving inscriptions in the Sinai testifying to the sheer scale of the turquoise mining there under Amenemhet.

Amenemhet built 2 pyramids, 1 at Dashur, and 1 at Hawara (which is where he was buried).

Little is known about Amenemhet III's successors. There was an Amenemhet IV, who perhaps only ruled as a co-regent with Amenemhet III. He was followed by Queen Sobeknefru. It is possible that 2 unidentified pyramids at Mazghuna, 3 miles south of Dashur, belong to these two rulers.