Amenemhat III
Attribution: Wikimedia Commons
1860 BC - 1814 BC
12th Dynasty Egyptian pharaoh
| Relationship | People |
|---|---|
| Parents | Senwosret III |
| Associated | Amelia Edwards |
Amenemhat III (also spelt Amenemhet III) was the sixth pharaoh of Egypt's 12th Dynasty, taking over from his father Senwosret III. Regarded as the Middle Kingdom's greatest king, he enjoyed a relatively long reign, ruling from 1860-1814, or 1842-1797 BC. This was enough time to create two of Egypt's best-known, if not durable, pyramids. Experts believe he may also have co-ruled with his father for up to 20 years.
Amenemhat was a peaceful ruler thanks to the military conquests of his predecessors, and would become known rather for his huge building works - not all of which ended successfully. Desperate to stamp his authority on an already-illustrious dynasty, Amenemhat began building a large pyramid at Dashur almost immediately. This 'Black Pyramid' took up to 15 years to complete, yet began to crumble on its completion.
Unpeturbed, the king began building further south in Hawara, near the Fayum. Here he constructed what would be his towering achievement, the mortuary temple and pyramid some would dub 'The Labyrinth'. The Greek mythical sculptor Daedalus is said to have based King Minos' labyrinth of Amenemhat's creation. The agricultural developments of the era meant the king's complex was located right at the heart of Egypt's cutting edge. For this reason, and Amenemhat's increased labour activity, many eastern workers flooded into the empire. Some believe this to have been a mistake, the foreign inlfux leading to the eventual end of native Egyptian rule.
Amenemhat III and his father are the subject for a strange trend in Egyptian art, whereby, instead of using the traditional image of the king as young and beautiful, artisans plumped to show him as old and weathered. This appears a shift from the long-held concept of the 'nefer', or 'limit of the body'. A great example of this style can be found in London's Petrie Museum, in the collection of writer and explorer Amelia Edwards.
