Senwosret III
From ArchaeoWiki
Senwosret III was the fifth ruler of the Twelfth Dynasty in the Middle Kingdom.
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Statuary
Three very similar statues of Senwosret III (now in the collection of the British Museum) were recovered from the mortuary temple of King Nebhhepetre Mentuhotep II, an Eleventh Dynasty predecessor of the king, at the site of Deir el-Bahari. Like Senwosret III, Mentuhotep had earlier promoted the cult of the Theban god Montu—it seems likely that the statues were dedicated out of respect both for the earlier king and for the deity.
The statues depict Senwosret in an attitude of prayer, standing with his hands flat on the front of his kilt, and represent the earliest examples of this devotional pose. Contrasting with his youthful and well-muscled torso, the face of Senwosret III is lined with expressive furrows. The notably large ears may symbolise both the ruler's readiness to listen and suggest that ruler hears all within his domain. This wholly new style of representation, departing radically from the serene idealised portrayals of Egyptian royalty in previous periods, is characteristic of the reign. Contemporary literature spoke of how the heaviest burden—that of rulership—lay on the king, and this powerfully modelled portrait seems to reflect this notion.
Death and Burial
Senwosret III constructed two funerary complexes during his reign, located at Abydos and at Dahshur.
Bibliography
- Wegner, Josef [1996], "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 55.4 (1996), pp.249-279.
- [2007], "Reopening the tomb of Senwosret III at Abydos", Egyptian Archaeology 30 (2007), pp.38-41.
External links
- The Pyramid Complex of Senwosret III in the Cemeteries of Dahshur - Timelines of Art History, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
