Khakaure Senusret III (also written asSenwosret III or thehellenised form,Sesostris III) was apharaoh ofEgypt. He ruled from 1878 BC to 1839 BC during a time of great power and prosperity,^[1] and was the fifth king of theTwelfth Dynasty of theMiddle Kingdom. He was a great pharaoh of the Twelfth Dynasty and is considered to rule at the height of the Middle Kingdom.^[2] Consequently, he is regarded as one of the sources for the legend aboutSesostris. His military campaigns gave rise to an era of peace and economic prosperity that reduced the power ofregional rulers and led to a revival in craftwork, trade, and urban development.^[3] Senusret III was among the few Egyptian kings who were deified and honored with acult during their own lifetime.^[4]

Senusret III
Sesostris III, Senwosret III, Senweseret III
Statues of Senusret III in theBritish Museum
Pharaoh
Reign	1878-1839 BC
Predecessor	Senusret II
Successor	Amenemhat III
Royal titulary Horus name Netjerkheperu Nṯrj-ḫprw Horus, divine of form Nebty name Netjermesut Nṯrj-mswt The two ladies, divine of birth Golden Horus Kheper Bjk-nbw-ḫpr The golden Horus has been created Praenomen Khakaure Ḫˁj-k3w-Rˁ TheKas ofRa have appeared Nomen Senusret S(j)-n-Wsrt Man ofWosret
Consort	Neferthenut,Khnemetneferhedjet II,Itakayt, perhapsMeretseger
Children	Amenemhat III, Khnemet,Menet,Mereret,Senetsenebtysy,Sithathor (?)
Father	Senusret II
Mother	Khnemetneferhedjet I
Died	1839 BC
Burial	Uncertain, possiblyhis pyramid atDahshur or in his tomb atAbydos near the town ofWah-Sut
Monuments	Buhen andToshka
Dynasty	Twelfth Dynasty

Senusret III was the son ofSenusret II andKhenemetneferhedjet I, also called Khenemetneferhedjet I Weret (the elder). Three wives of Senusret III are known for certain. These areItakayt,Khenemetneferhedjet II andNeferthenut, all three mainly known from their burials next to thepyramid of the king at Dahshur.^[5] Several daughters are known, although they also are attested only by the burials around the king's pyramid and their exact relation to the king is disputable. These includeSithathor,Menet,Senetsenebtysy, andMeret.Amenemhat III was most likely a son of the king. Other sons are not known.^[6]

The tomb of Mereret was found partly robbed but a pectoral of Senusret III, her father, was missed by the tomb robbers.

Senusret III cleared a navigable canal through the first cataract of the Nile River,^[7] (this was different from theCanal of the Pharaohs, which apparently, Senusret III also tried to build). He also relentlessly pushed his kingdom's expansion intoNubia (from 1866 to 1863 BC) where he erected massive river forts includingBuhen,Semna,Shalfak andToshka atUronarti.

He carried out at least four major campaigns into Nubia in his Years 8, 10, 16, and 19.^[8] His Year 8 stela at Semna documents his victories against the Nubians, through which he is thought to have made safe the southern frontier, preventing further incursions into Egypt.^[9] Another greatstela from Semna dated to the third month of Year 16 of his reign mentions hismilitary activities against bothNubia andCanaan. In it, he admonished his future successors to maintain the new border that he had created:

Year 16, third month of winter: the king made his southern boundary at Heh. I have made my boundary further south than my fathers. I have added to what was bequeathed me. (...) As for any son (i.e., successor) of mine who shall maintain this border which my Majesty has made, he is my son born to my Majesty. The true son is he who champions his father, who guards the border of his begetter. But he [who] abandons it, who fails to fight for it, he is not my son, he was not born to me. Now my majesty has had an image made of my majesty, at this border which my majesty has made, in order that you maintain it, in order that you fight for it.^[10]

TheSebek-khu Stele, dated to the reign of Senusret III (reign: 1878 – 1839 BC), records the earliest known Egyptian military campaign in the Levant.^[11] The text reads "His Majesty proceeded northward to overthrow theAsiatics. His Majesty reached a foreign country of which the name was Sekmem (...) Then Sekmem fell, together with the wretchedRetenu", where Sekmem (s-k-m-m) is thought to beShechem and "Retenu" or "Retjenu" are associated with ancientSyria.^[12]

His final campaign, which was in his Year 19, was less successful because the king's forces were caught due to theNile being lower than normal. They had to retreat and abandon their campaign in order to avoid being trapped in the hostileNubian territory.^[13]

Such was his forceful nature and immense influence that Senusret III was worshipped as a deity inSemna by later generations.^[14] Jacques Morgan, in 1894, found rock inscriptions nearSehel Island documenting his digging of a canal. Senusret III erected atemple and town inAbydos, and another temple inMedamud.^[15]

His court included the viziersNebit, andKhnumhotep.^[16][17]Ikhernofret worked as treasurer for the king at Abydos.^[18]Sobekemhat was treasurer too and buried at Dahshur.^[19]Senankh cleared the canal at Sehel for the king.^[20]Horkherty was king's acquaintance.^[21]

A double-datedpapyrus in theBerlin Museum shows Year 20 of his reign next to Year 1 of his son,Amenemhat III; generally, this is presumed to be a proof for acoregency with his son, which should have been started in this year. According toJosef W. Wegner, a Year 39 hieratic control note was recovered on a white limestone block from:

...a securely defined deposit of construction debris produced from the building of the Senwosret III mortuary temple. The fragment itself is part of the remnants of the temple construction. This deposit provides evidence for the date of construction of the mortuary temple of Senwosret III at Abydos.^[22]

Wegner stresses that it is unlikely that Amenemhat III, Senusret's son and successor, would still be working on his father's temple nearly two decades into his own reign.^[23] He notes that the only possible explanation for the block's existence at the project is that Senusret III had a 39-year reign, with the final 20 years in coregency with his sonAmenemhat III.^[5] Since the project was associated with a project of Senusret III, his Regnal Year was presumably used to date the block, rather than Year 20 of Amenemhat III. Wegner interprets this as an implication that Senusret was still alive in the first two decades of his son's reign.

Wegner's hypothesis is rejected by some scholars, such as Pierre Tallet and Harco Willems; according to them, it is more likely that such a coregency never occurred, and that the Year 39 control note still refers to Amenemhat III, who may have ordered some additions to Senusret's monuments.^[24][25]

The "Cycle of Songs in Honor of Senwosret III" is a series of 6 songs as part of the archive ofpapyri fromIllahun. It is suggested byAdolf Erman that they were written and composed for the king in a town south ofMemphis. The songs outline the responsibilities of the king and embody kingship ideology in theMiddle Kingdom.^[26] This ideology includes protecting the unity of thetwo kingdoms, extending the borders of Egypt, striking fear in Egyptian enemies, and ensuring the success of his subjects.^[26] Though there is not a strong difference of hymns to living kings or dead kings, there is indication that these hymns were to be sung by the king's subjects while he was alive. A hymn reads "may he live for ever and eternity."^[27] He was often compared toSekhmet in the hymns because of his iron fist and conquering of enemies. The cult of the king after his passing lasted for roughly 3 centuries at SouthAbydos.

Senusret's pyramid complex was built north-east of theRed Pyramid ofDashur.^[28] It far surpassed those from the early twelfth dynasty in size, grandeur, and underlying religious conceptions.

The complex of pyramids was constructed in 2 phases. Originally, it was designed to followOld Kingdom pyramids which included the structure itself, an eastern pyramid temple, and a stone wall encircling the complex.^[29] The second phase included an outer brick wall which was surrounded by 6 smaller pyramids for the royal queens.^[5] There is also an underground gallery with further burials for royal women. Here were found the treasures ofSithathor and queenMereret.^[5] The final, seventh, pyramid served as the king'ska pyramid with a statue of himself inside for worship. There was also a southern temple, however this has since been destroyed.^[30]

Senusret's pyramid is 105 meters square and 78 meters high. The total volume was approximately 288,000 cubic meters.^[31] The pyramid was built of a core ofmud bricks. They were not made a consistent size implying that standardized moulds were not used. The burial chamber was lined with granite. Above the vaulted burial chamber was a second relieving chamber that was roofed with five pairs of limestone beams each weighing 30 tons. Above this was a third mudbrick vault.^[32]

There has been speculation that Senusret was not necessarily buried at his pyramid, but rather in his sophisticated funerary complex inAbydos. Under this interpretation, his pyramid would be acenotaph.^[3]

The Mortuary Temple at Abydos is 30m below the surface and extends below for 180m.^[33] It is located on the base of high desert cliffs and is focused on a subterranean royal tomb. Near the site, there is a town that houses administrators and priests dedicated to the cult of the late king.^[34] The mountain where the tomb is located was known as "The Mountain of Anubis" and was used as a conceptual link of Senusret and the gods.^[33] The design of the tomb is likely symbolically representing the descent of the sun into the realm ofOsiris.^[35] It would later develop into a center for funerary complexes and would include 11 kings whose rules date from the thirteenth century and theSecond Intermediate Period.

The construction dates and inscriptions further suggest acoregency between Senusret III andAmenemhat III, according toWegner andDieter Arnold. It shows that the construction of the temple was likely finished during the reign of Amenemhet III rather than he ordered the construction.^[23]

Senusret III is well known for his distinctive statues, which are almost immediately recognizable as his. On them, the king is depicted at different ages and, in particular, on the aged ones he sports a strikingly somber expression: the eyes are protruding from hollow eye sockets with pouches and lines under them, the mouth and lips have a grimace of bitterness, and the ears are enormous and protruding forward. In sharp contrast with the even-exaggeratedrealism of the head and, regardless of his age, the rest of the body isidealized as forever young and muscular, in the more classical pharaonic fashion.^[36][37]

Scholars could only make assumptions about the reasons why Senusret III chose to have himself portrayed in such a unique way, and polarized on two diverging opinions.^[36] Some argue that Senusret wanted to be represented as a lonely and disenchanted ruler, human before divine, consumed by worries and by his responsibilities.^[38][39][40] At the opposite, other scholars suggested that the statues originally would convey the idea of a dreadful tyrant able to see and hear everything under his strict control.^[41]

More recently, it has been suggested that the purpose of such peculiar portraiture was not to represent realism, but rather, to reveal the perceived nature of royal power at the time of Senusret's reign.^[42]

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  Senwosret III's name in hieroglyphs
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  Head of Senusret III with youthful features. 12th Dynasty, c. 1870 BC. State Museum of Egyptian Art, Munich
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  Face of a king, probably Senusret III, wearing the nemes royal headdress, Quartzite, Twelfth Dynasty, From Egypt, Presented by Guy Brunton, The Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, London
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  Egyptian Museum
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  British Museum
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  Munich,Staatliche Sammlung für Ägyptische Kunst
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  British Museum
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  Louvre
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  Louvre
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  British Museum
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  Berlin Museum
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  Luxor Museum
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  Louvre
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  Walters Art Museum, One of the few intact statues of Senusret III
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  Sebek-khu Stele, describing the campaign to Canaan
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  British Museum
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  British Museum Senwosret's name on belt from the three statues (far right).
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  Senusret III, MET Museum NYC

Senusret is a major character inChristian Jacq's historical fiction seriesThe Mysteries of Osiris.^[43]

Some biblical scholars consider Senusret the pharaoh mentioned in Genesis 39-47, who elevatedJoseph to a high administrative post, answerable directly to him.^[44]

• List of pharaohs

• W. Grajetzki,The Middle Kingdom of Ancient Egypt: History,Archaeology and Society, Duckworth, London 2006ISBN 0-7156-3435-6, 51-58.
• Josef Wegner, The Nature and Chronology of the Senwosret III–Amenemhat III Regnal Succession: Some Considerations based on new evidence from the Mortuary Temple of Senwosret III at Abydos, JNES 55, Vol.4, (1996), p. 249–279.

• Stela of Senusret III from Deir el-Bahri (hieroglyphic text in russian web-site)^{[dead link‍]}

Colchis