and he cleared the Nile of foes all the way to the second
cataract on the Nile. One of his chancellors, Khety, took a
large fleet south to reopen trade as a result of these mili-
tary actions. Montuhotep II also used the services of BEBI,
DAGI, and Ipy, talented men of the era who served in turn
as his viziers. Montuhotep II built on the ELEPHANTINE
Island, restoring temples there. He then restored and
added to shrines and temples at DEIR EL-BAHRI, DENDEREH,
ELKAB, ABYDOS, el-TOD, and ERMENT(Hermonthis).
Upon completing the unification of Egypt, Mon-
tuhotep II was given the name Sank-ib-tawy, “He-
who-Makes-the-Heart-of-the-Two-Lands-to-Live.” Admin-
istratively, Montuhotep II set about centralizing power by
receiving the resignations of local governors and NO-
MARCHS. He left many of them in place, but they owed
their allegiance to him as a result. The defeated enemy
leaders were pardoned when they supported his rule over
the Two Kingdoms.
He married TEM (2), possibly the mother of MON-
TUHOTEP III; HENHENIT, who died in childbirth; and a
group of lesser wives or concubines, including NEFERU
(1),KHEMSIT, KAWIT(2), SADEH, AMUNET, NUBKHAS(1),
INHAPI, and ASHAIT. He also had a rather vast harem of
lesser wives and concubines.
DEIR EL-BAHRIwas the site of the mortuary complex
of Montuhotep II, erected on the western shore of the
Nile at Thebes, his clan home. The funerary temple is
now almost destroyed but was originally designed with
columned porticoes, terraces, and courtyards, where
sycamore and tamarisk trees complemented the statues of
the pharaoh. A sloping passage led to a burial chamber,
made of blocks of sandstone and containing an alabaster
sarcophagus. Montuhotep’s several wives and consorts, as
well as members of his court, were buried in Deir el-
Bahri. The site included BAB EL-HOSAN, the Gate of the
Horse, where a shaft contained boat models.
His mortuary temple was designed to mirror the
primeval mound and served as a model for later monu-
ments erected on that site. Montuhotep II was buried at
the end of a long passage. The tomb was vandalized in
later periods, and only his skull fragments and a piece of
his jaw remain. A funerary monument depicting a seated
Montuhotep II and six queens was recovered. His sister
Neferu (1), and a five year old child, MUYET, were also
buried at Deir el-Bahri.
Montuhotep II’s army This is a remarkable collection
of bodies discovered at DEIR EL-BAHRI, on the western
shore of the Nile at THEBES, beside the mortuary complex
of the ruler. Almost 60 Egyptian soldiers were entombed
there in ritual burial. All of them had died of battle
wounds taken during the siege of the city of HIERAKONPO-
LISin a battle to unify the nation, and they wore shrouds
marked with the cartouche and seals of Montuhotep II,
identifying them as the pharaoh’s comrades-in-arms who
were destined to share rewards with him in paradise. The
tomb was robbed during the Second Intermediate Period
(1640–1550 B.C.E.) but then covered by a landslide,
which sealed it effectively.Montuhotep III (S’ankharé)(d. 1998 B.C.E.) Fifth ru-
ler of the Eleventh Dynasty
He reigned from 2010 B.C.E. until his death. Montuhotep
III was the son of MONTUHOTEP IIand Queen TEM(2) or
possibly NEFERU (1). He ascended the throne at an
advanced age, and he is recorded on the ABYDOSand
SAQQARARuler Lists and in the TURIN CANON. A veteran
of his father’s military campaigns, Montuhotep III rebuilt
fortresses in the eastern Delta and sent an expedition to
PUNT. He also had wells dug along expedition routes and
reopened the quarries at WADI HAMMAMAT.
His mortuary temple was built at DEIR EL-BAHRI,on
the western shore at Thebes, but it was not completed.
Montuhotep also erected a temple to the god THOTHon a
hill overlooking the Nile. The letters of an official named
Hekanakhte, a mortuary priest in Thebes, provided con-
siderable information about Montuhotep III’s reign. The
heir, Montuhotep IV, was born to Queen IMI. Another
consort was Queen AMUNET.Montuhotep IV (Nebtawyré(d. 1991 B.C.E.)Sixth
ruler of the Eleventh Dynasty
He reigned from 1998 B.C.E. until his death. The son of
MONTUHOTEP IIIand Queen IMI, he initiated expeditions
to mines and quarries and had an immense sarcophagus
lid quarried in WADI HAMMAMATand then sailed down the
Nile to his tomb site. This mortuary monument was
loaded onto a barge and carried north from the quarry
with the aid of an army of 3,000 workers who were
involved in the transportation.
Montuhotep IV founded a harbor town (KUSER) on
the Red Sea for the shipbuilding operations conducted by
the Egyptians in preparation for journeys to PUNT. Kuser
would become important to Egypt in the New Kingdom
(1550–1070 B.C.E.) when expeditions to Punt were con-
ducted regularly. Montuhotep IV also mined at Wadi el-
Hudi and elsewhere. AMENEMHET I, Montuhotep’s vizier,
conducted many of the ongoing royal projects and
usurped the throne.mortuary rituals These were the ceremonies and elab-
orate processes evolving over the centuries in the burial
of ancient Egyptians. Such rituals and traditions were
maintained throughout the nation’s history, changing as
various material and spiritual needs became manifest. In
the Predynastic Period (before 3000 B.C.E.), the Egyp-
tians, following the customs of most primitive cultures of
the area, buried their dead on the fringes of the settle-
ment region, in this case the surrounding deserts. This
custom was maintained for some time in Upper Egypt,mortuary rituals 251