Episode 35: From Father to Son

Senuseret I (Part II): the Teachings of Amenemhat

In the wake of his father’s murder, King Sen-user-et I comes to power. First he must manage the transition to power, then he must build his own legacy.

To strengthen his legitimacy, Senuseret commissions The Teachings of Amenemhat. Purporting to be written by the late king, the work promotes the new ruler’s view of his situation and courtly society, with special warnings to trust no one. Whether the work is full of Senuseret’s own ideas, or perhaps composed from teachings given by the late Amenemhat during their co-regency, it is a fascinating piece of Egyptian didactic literature.

The Teaching of Amenemhat

• The “Instructions of Amenemhat,” at UCL. Later versions at Wikimedia.

Senuseret I

• Overview of reign and records at SLU.edu.
• Overview of records at UCL.
• Detailed summary of reign at Wikipedia.
• Misc monuments, objects, and art at Wikimedia.

Names / Titles

• Horus: Ankhmesut
• Two Ladies: Ankhmesut
• Golden Horus: Ankhmesut
• Throne name/Prenomen: Kheper-ka-Re
• Personal name/Nomen: Senusret

Wives

• Neferu III

Monuments

• Pyramid complex at al-Lisht, Wikimedia.
• The White Chapel at Karnak, photos by Kairoinfo4u, Flickr.
• Obelisk in the Temple of Ra at Iunu (Heliopolis), Wikimedia.

The Twelfth Dynasty

• Summary at Wikipedia.
• Summary at ancient-egypt.org.
• List of Kings (Dynasties 11 and 12) at UCL.
• History: The Twelfth Dynasty’s rise to power in Lisa K. Sabbahy, Kingship, Power, and Legitimacy in Ancient Egypt, 2020. Cambridge University Press.
• History: Late Middle Kingdom at UCLA Encyclopedia of Egyptology.
• Family tree at Wikipedia, based on Dodson and Hilton, Complete Royal Families of Ancient Egypt, 2004.