Middle Kingdom · 12th Dynasty

Senusret III

Reign: 1836–1818 (1872–1853/52) BC
Throne name: Kha-kau-Re
Other names: Senwosret III, Netjeri-kheperu
Dynasty: 12th Dynasty
Period: Middle Kingdom, c. 2040–1780 BC
Capital at the time: Thebes, then Itjtawy (near el-Lisht)

Senusret III is listed in the king list under ‘12th Dynasty’ and so belongs to this period: Middle Kingdom (c. 2040–1780 BC). Reign: 1836–1818 (1872–1853/52) BC. The figures in brackets give the alternative dating by the Egyptologist Jürgen von Beckerath. The throne name is Kha-kau-Re. Other recorded names: Senwosret III, Netjeri-kheperu.

What is known about Senusret III

Strong centralisation of the country. His reign lasted 19 years. Earlier uncertainties about the length of the reign were based on the details given on stela Berlin 1204, which was at first translated incorrectly. Analyses of the lunar dates carried out since then have made it possible to determine the exact length of the reign. In the New Kingdom Senusret III was deified and regarded as the patron of Nubia. He built a pyramid at Dahshur.
From the German Wikipedia list of pharaohs, CC BY-SA 4.0, translated and edited.

The period: Middle Kingdom

After reunification, literature, art and administration flourish. Later generations regarded the language of this period as ‘classical’ Egyptian.

c. 1950 BCAmenemhat I moves the royal residence to Itjtawy; the ‘Story of Sinuhe’ is composed under Senusret I.
c. 1870 BCSenusret III secures the southern frontier with a chain of mighty fortresses in Nubia, such as those at Semna and Buhen.
c. 1840 BCAmenemhat III has the Faiyum opened up through irrigation; the Greeks called his mortuary temple at Hawara the ‘Labyrinth’.
c. 1795 BCSobekneferu reigns as the first female ruler of Egypt attested by contemporary evidence.

More about this period: Middle Kingdom

Senusret III

What is known about Senusret III

The period: Middle Kingdom

12th Dynasty: all rulers

Further reading