Mentuhotep II (Nebhepetre)

Mentuhotep II (throne-name Nebhepetre) was the Theban king who reunified Egypt after the divisions of the First Intermediate Period, reigning around 2055-2004 BCE (Shaw's conventional dates), and is conventionally regarded as the founder of the Middle Kingdom. Beginning as ruler of the southern Theban kingdom, he defeated the rival northern line and brought the whole country under one crown once more. He built a strikingly original terraced mortuary temple against the cliffs at Deir el-Bahari, a monument that would directly inspire Hatshepsut's far larger temple on the adjacent site some five centuries later. His long reign re-established strong central government, royal building, and the conditions for the cultural flowering of the Middle Kingdom.