He was a great king of the 12th Dynasty and is considered to have ruled at the height of the Middle Kingdom. Consequently, he is regarded as one of the sources for the legend about
Sesostris. Proposed dates for his rule may vary depending on author, from around c. 1878 BC to c. 1839 BC during a time of great power and prosperity,
Accession Senusret III succeeded his father Senusret II upon the death of the latter. There is no evidence, such as double-dated stelae, indicating a coregency between the two. Thus, Senusret III would have had his accession year (Year 0) for the remaining months and days of regnal Year [19] of Senusret II, and formally started his Year 1 on
I Akhet day 1 (New Year).
Constructions Water canals Water canals were important for river transport and irrigation. Senusret III cleared a navigable canal through the first cataract of the
Nile River, (this was different from the
Canal of the Pharaohs, which apparently, Senusret III also tried to build). Jacques Morgan, in 1894, found rock inscriptions near
Sehel Island documenting his digging of a canal.
Medamud At
Medamud, he built at the Temple of Montu.
Abydos At
Abydos, in his late reign Senusret III built the planned town
Wah-Sut, a mortuary temple and a second tomb dug into the bed-rock beneath the Mountain of Anubis.
Qantir At Qantir, blocks from a doorway was found (in a secondary context?).
Levant During the reign of Sensusret III, the Egyptians were active along the Levantine coast and inland in the Southern Levant. The relations to local lands and peoples were based on trade and military campaigns. One campaign may have occurred around Year 16 (see stela below: Nubia).
Sebek-khu stele The
Sebek-khu Stele, dated to the reign of Senusret III, records the earliest known Egyptian military campaign in the Levant. The text reads "His Majesty proceeded northward to overthrow the Asiatics (Aamu ꜥꜣmw;
Asiatics;
Amorites). His Majesty reached a foreign country of which the name was Sekmem (...) Then Sekmem fell, together with the wretched
Retenu", where Sekmem (s-k-m-m) is thought to be
Shechem and "Retenu" or "
Retjenu" are associated with ancient
Syria.
Nubia During the 12th Dynasty, Nubia had been a region into which the great kings could expand their territory and secure resources. The reign of Senusret III was characterized by several military campaigns in Nubia and development of fortresses to secure the region (cf. the reign of Senusret I). Such was his forceful nature and immense influence that Senusret III was worshipped as a deity in
Semna by later generations. He pushed his expantion into
Nubia where he erected massive river forts including
Buhen,
Semna,
Shalfak, and
Toshka at
Uronarti. He carried out at least four major campaigns into Nubia in his Years 8, 10, 16, and 19.
Year 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.
Year 16, III Akhet | At Semna a great stela is dated to the third month of Year 16 of his reign mentions his
military activities against both
Nubia and
Canaan. In it, he admonished his future successors to maintain the new border that he had created:
Year 19 | His final military campaign, which was in his Year 19, was less successful because the king's forces were caught due to the
Nile being lower than normal. They had to retreat and abandon their campaign in order to avoid being trapped in the hostile
Nubian territory.
Semna Boundary Stela ), Berlin In Nubia, the region of
Semna had been established as a fortified area in the reign of
Senusret I. One of the three forts of Semna, known as Semna-West was where king Senusret III formed the stela known as the
Semna Boundary Stela of Senusret III. One of Senusret I's major achievements was the conquest of Lower Nubia, which was later consolidated by Senusret III. In general in ancient Egypt, boundary stela served the purpose of demarcating territorial lines, acting as a notice that the demarcation was to be enforced. When Senusret III built various fortresses along the
Second Nile Cataract as a militant frontier guard against the
Kerma kingdom, he also constructed two monumental stela at the forts of Semna and
Uronarti. The stela reiterated Egyptian dominance over Nubia and called for future authorities to preserve the boundary. The stela was discovered in 1845 by German Egyptologist
Karl Lepsius. The text clearly reinforces Senusret III's
expansionist policies. The stela was replaced during the 18th Dynasty to be incorporated into shrines for mortuary cult worship. An
English translation of the central text of the Semna Boundary Stela of Senusret III: His Majesty established the southern border at
Heh. I established my border further south than my forefathers. I added to what was bequeathed to me. I am a king who speaks and acts. I make happen what I conceive, eager to seize, hasty to succeed, in whose heart a matter doesn't slumber, anticipating inferiors, suppressing mercy, merciless to the enemy who attacks him, who attacks one who would attack, who is silent when one is silent, who replies to a matter as befits it. For to be idle after an attack is to strengthen the heart of the enemy. Aggression is valour and retreat is cowardice. Who is driven from his border is truly a coward. For the Nubian listens to the word of mouth. Answering him is making him retreat. If one acts aggressively towards him, he turns his back. Retreat, and he will take occasion to act aggressively. For they are not respectable people. They are wretches with broken spirits. My Majesty has seen them; it is no lie. I captured their women, I carried off their underlings, went to their wells, drove off their bulls, tore out their barley, set fire to it. As my father lives for me, I speak truthfully, there is no boast that comes from my mouth. As for any son of mine who shall maintain this border that My Majesty established, he is my son, born to My Majesty. It befits a son that he be the champion of his father, and maintains the border of his begetter. As to him who shall lose it, who shall not fight for it, he is not my son, he was not born to me. Now, My Majesty had a statue of My Majesty made at this border that My Majesty established, so that you may be persistent at it and that you may fight for it.
Worship The "Cycle of Songs in Honor of Senwosret III" is a series of 6 songs as part of the archive of
papyri from
Illahun. It is suggested by
Adolf Erman that they were written and composed for the king in a town south of
Memphis. The songs outline the responsibilities of the king and embody kingship ideology in the
Middle Kingdom. This ideology includes protecting the unity of the
two kingdoms, extending the borders of Egypt, striking fear in Egyptian enemies, and ensuring the success of his subjects. He was often compared to
Sekhmet in the hymns because of his iron fist and conquering of enemies. The hymn excerpts of the "Cycle of Songs in Honor of Senwosret III" that associate Senusret III with Sekhmet are: He who fires an arrow as Sekhmet does, he fells thousands of those unaware of his power The tongue of his Person is the restraint on the Bow-land and his commands are what set the nomads to flight ... How great is the lord for his city! indeed he is Sekhmet against the enemies who tread on his border Clearly, the identities of the Sekhmet and Senusret III are repeatedly juxtaposed. The cult of the king after his passing lasted for roughly 300 years at South
Abydos.
Succession Coregency In Year 19 of Senusret III, I Akhet Day 1 (New Year), he became senior coregent (Osiris) by appointing his son Amenemhat III as junior coregent (Horus). A double-dated
papyrus in the
Berlin Museum shows Year 19 of his reign next to Year 1 of his son,
Amenemhat III; generally, this is presumed to be a proof for a
coregency with his son. A coregency may indicate that Senusret III, who had been exceptionally active on military campaigns, no longer was fit to travel the country and conduct military campaigns retiring to Abydos in Year 19, while Amenemhat III took over these duties. It also may explain Senusret III associating himself with Osiris at Abydos.
Reign length The highest attested date of Senusret III is the papyrus dated to Year 19. The Turin King List 6:24 reads: "
[The Dual King Nebkaura ...] 30+ x years." This indicates that Senusret III reigned more than 30 regnal years. According to
Josef Wegner, a Year 39 hieratic control note was recovered on a white limestone block from: 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. 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 son
Amenemhat III. ==Royal Court==