Final answer:
Amenemhat I established Egypt's first standing army, initiated large-scale building projects, and centralized government power, reducing the influence of local governors and expanding foreign relations to stabilize and strengthen Egypt during his reign.
Step-by-step explanation:
In 1991 BCE, Amenemhat I transformed power and authority in ancient Egypt by establishing a new era known as the Middle Kingdom. He revolutionized the country's political and military system by creating Egypt's first standing army, initiating large-scale building projects to demonstrate and consolidate centralized power, and ensuring cultural and economic prosperity. Amenemhat I expanded foreign relations with surrounding regions such as the Levant and Kush, thus securing Egypt's borders and influence. His reign marked a strategic shift towards a more centralized government, with increased control over the provinces by reducing the power of local governors, known as nomarchs.
Amenemhat I's legacy was celebrated in the Prophecy of Neferty, a literature piece that portrayed his rise as a return to order and prosperity for Egypt. Under his rule, the pharaoh's authority was bolstered, the administration was more directly managed by the central government, and measures were taken to prevent the type of decentralization that had weakened the Old Kingdom.