Senuseret III (Part I): The Secret Tombs
Around 1880 BCE, one of Egypt’s most legendary kings takes the throne of the Two Lands: Kha-kau-Re Senuseret III (“The Kas of Re Appear in Glory”). He initiates his 20+ year reign with an incredibly ambitious building program: two royal tombs are being built at once.
At the same time, a new trend in royal portraiture appears. Statues of the king display him as an careworn, dour man. This is directly opposite the youthful, idealized features of his many predecessors. Does it hearken back to the statuary of Netjer-khet Djoser?
Bibliography
- Josef Wegner, “The Tomb of Senwosret III at Abydos: Considerations on the Origin and Development of the Royal Amduat-Tomb,” in Archaism and Innovation, 2009 (Free Download).
- Josef Wegner and Mary-Ann Pouls Wegner, “Seat of Eternity” in Archaeology Magazine, July/August 2001 (JSTOR).
- Vanessa E. Smith, “An Investigation of the Shena of Divine Offerings Adjacent to the Mortuary Temple of Senwosret III at Abydos, Egypt,” PhD. Dissertation, University of Pennsylvania, 2010.
- Wolfram Grajetzki, The Middle Kingdom of Ancient Egypt, 2006.
- Penn Museum Website – Abydos.
- Ancient Egypt Online – Senwosret III at Dahshur.
- Metropolitan Museum of Art Website – Senwosret III’s Pyramid at Dahshur.
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