Egypt Museum

Amenemhat III Seated

Amenemhat III (Ancient Egyptian: Ỉmn-m-hꜣt meaning ‘Amun is in the forefront’), also known as Amenemhet III, was a king of Ancient Egypt and the sixth ruler of the Twelfth Dynasty in the Middle Kingdom.

His father, Senwosret III, elevated him to the throne as co-regent, and he shared the throne as active king for twenty years. During his reign, Egypt reached its cultural and economic apex as the Middle Kingdom.

Senwosret III’s bold military and domestic policies, which resubjugated Nubia and seized control from the nomarchs, enabled Amenemhat III to inherit a stable and tranquil Egypt. He focused his energies on an ambitious building programme, with a particular emphasis on Faiyum.

Seated Statue of Amenemhat III
Seated Statue of Amenemhat III

Amenemhat III is depicted seated on a platform seat engraved with hieroglyphs, including royal cartouches. The king sits with a rigid poster, hands flat upon his lap. He stares forth, with a somewhat youthful, even childlike face, accompanied by two oversized ears. The oversized ears were a Middle Kingdom trait, that even Amenemhat’s father, Senwosret III, would be depicted with. The resemblance between the father and son pair is noticeable, even in this ancient stone work.

Amenemhat wears a humble necklace with an amulet hanging upon his chest. His nemes and royal insignia, the cobra ureaus is in remarkable condition.

To the south of the Hawara pyramid are the (very sparse) remnants of the king’s once-vast burial temple, built to serve his cult. This structure was still mostly intact when the Greek historian Herodotus visited it around 450 BC, and he was so impressed that he compared it to the legendary ‘labyrinth’. It is there where this seated statue of Amenemhat III was found.

One of the naos from Amenemhat III's burial temple at Hawara is now at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo
One of the naos from Amenemhat III’s burial temple at Hawara is now at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. Amenemhat III is shown on the left, flexing his arm across his chest to convey the sign “ankh” (life) to his partner’s face. The king on the right is his son and successor, Amenemhat IV.
King Amenemhat III (r. c. 1860 BC-c. 1814 B.C.) erected the Black Pyramid
King Amenemhat III (r. c. 1860 BC-c. 1814 B.C.) erected the Black Pyramid (Arabic: الهرم الأسود, romanized: al-Haram al’Aswad) during Egypt’s Middle Kingdom (2055-1650 BC). It is one of the five extant pyramids at Dahshur, Egypt, from the original eleven. The pyramid, originally named Amenemhet is Mighty, became known as the Black Pyramid because to its gloomy, decaying appearance as a debris mound. The Black Pyramid was the first to accommodate both the deceased pharaoh and his queens. In 1892, Jacques de Morgan, on a French mission, began excavating the Pyramids of Dahshur. In 1983, the German Archaeological Institute of Cairo concluded excavations.
Diorite gneiss statue of king Amenemhat III. Now in the State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg.
Diorite gneiss statue of king Amenemhat III. Middle Kingdom, 12th Dynasty, ca. 1860-1814 BC. Now in the State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg.

Lower Nubia’s Gebel el-Asr quarries are located northwest of Abu Simbel and west of Lake Nasser. The site is primarily known for the diorite used to create six of Khafre’s seated figures. In the Middle Kingdom, the area was also known for its gneiss and chalcedony deposits. The Chalcedony deposits are also known as’stela ridge’ since they were a location where memorial stelae and votive gifts were placed. Nine of these commemorative objects date back to Amenemhat III’s reign, notably years 2 and 4.

Summary:

Seated Statue of Amenemhat III

Middle Kingdom, 12th Dynasty, c. 1840 B.C.

Found within the funerary temple at Hawara, Egypt.

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