Senusret III: The Mighty Pharaoh of Egypt’s Twelfth Dynasty

Senwosret III, or Sesostris III in its Hellenized form, was another name for Khakaure Senusret III, one of Egypt’s visionary pharaohs who came to power during an exceptional time of wealth and power. His rule, which lasted from 1878 BC to 1839 BC, was the height of the Middle Kingdom’s prosperity and power.

Renowned as the fifth ruler of the Twelfth Dynasty, Senusret III is celebrated for his significant contributions to Egyptian history. His profound influence on the prevailing consciousness of his time is evidenced by the fact that historians view him as one of the main inspirations behind the legend of Sesostris.

Senusret III’s military expeditions were instrumental in fostering an unprecedented era of peace and economic prosperity. By subduing regional rulers, he facilitated a renaissance in craftsmanship, trade, and urban development, leaving an indelible mark on the landscape of ancient Egypt. Notably, he is among the few pharaohs to be deified and honored with a cult during his lifetime, a testament to the profound reverence and admiration he inspired among his people.

The navigable canal he created by forging through the Nile River’s first cataract is among his most notable achievements; it was an ambitious and ground-breaking feat. He also oversaw a bold incursion into Nubia, building commanding river forts at key sites like Buhen, Semna, Shalfak, and Toshka in Uronarti. This relentless campaign of expansion and fortification underscored his commitment to securing and fortifying his kingdom’s frontiers.

Senusret III’s military prowess was evident in the numerous triumphant campaigns he led into Nubia. With resounding victories in his Years 8, 10, 16, and 19, he effectively safeguarded the southern frontier, thwarting potential incursions into Egypt. The stelae and inscriptions from these campaigns stand as enduring testaments to his martial achievements, chronicling his successes against both Nubia and Canaan.

 In it, he admonished his future successors to maintain the new border that he had created:

Year 16, third month of winter: the king made his southern boundary at Heh. I have made my boundary further south than my fathers. I have added to what was bequeathed me. (…) As for any son (i.e., successor) of mine who shall maintain this border which my Majesty has made, he is my son born to my Majesty. The true son is he who champions his father, who guards the border of his begetter. But he [who] abandons it, who fails to fight for it, he is not my son, he was not born to me. Now my majesty has had an image made of my majesty, at this border which my majesty has made, in order that you maintain it, in order that you fight for it.

According to Herodotus:

“I will now speak of the king who came after them, Sesostris. This king, said the priests, set out with a fleet of long ships from the Arabian Gulf and subdued all the dwellers by the Red Sea, till as he sailed on he came to a sea which was too shallow for his vessels. After returning thence back to Egypt, he gathered a great army (according to the story of the priests) and marched over the mainland, subduing every nation to which he came.

When those that he met were valiant men and strove hard for freedom, he set up pillars in their land whereon the inscription showed his own name and his country’s, and how he had overcome them with his own power; but when the cities had made no resistance and been easily taken, then he put an inscription on the pillars even as he had done where the nations were brave; but he drew also on them the privy parts of a woman, wishing to show clearly that the people were cowardly.

Thus doing he marched over the country till he had passed over from Asia to Europe and subdued the Scythians and Thracians. Thus far and no farther, I think, the Egyptian army went; for the pillars can be seen standing in their country, but in none beyond it. Thence he turned about and went back homewards; and when he came to the Phasis river, it may be (for I cannot speak with exact knowledge) that King Sesostris divided off some part of his army and left it there to dwell in the country, or it may be that some of his soldiers grew weary of his wanderings, and stayed by the Phasis.

For it is plain to see that Colchians are Egyptians; and this that I say I myself noted before I heard it from others. When I began to think on this matter, I inquired of both peoples; and the Colchians remembered the Egyptians better than the Egyptians remembered the Colchians; the Egyptians said that they held the Colchians to be part of Sesostris’ army. I myself guessed it to be p393so, partly because they are dark-skinned and woolly-haired; though that indeed goes for nothing, seeing that other peoples, too, are such; but my better proof was that the Colchians and Egyptians and Ethiopians are the only nations that have from the first practised circumcision.

The Phoenicians and the Syrians of Palestine acknowledge of themselves that they learnt the custom from the Egyptians, and the Syrians of the valleys of the Thermodon and the Parthenius, as well as their neighbors the Macrones, say that they learnt it lately from the Colchians. These are the only nations that practiced circumcision, and it is seen that they do even as the Egyptians. But as to the Egyptians and Ethiopians themselves, I cannot say which nation learnt it from the other; for it is manifestly a very ancient custom. That the others learnt it from intercourse with Egypt I hold to be clearly proved by this — that Phoenicians who hold intercourse with Hellas cease to imitate the Egyptians in this matter and do not circumcise their children.“

Herodotus ρ390 Book II: ƈԋαρƚҽɾʂ 99‑182