Amenemhat III

Here he dedicated a temple to Sobek, a chapel to Renenutet, erected two colossal statues of himself in Biahmu, and contributed to excavation of Lake Moeris.

To acquire resources for the building program, Amenemhat III exploited the quarries of Egypt and the Sinai for turquoise and copper.

[1][26][27] The entries of his presumed children and immediate successors – Amenemhat IV and Sobekneferu – are near-wholly intact preserving their praenomen and reign lengths.

[1][27] Amenemhat III is also mentioned in Manetho's Aegyptiaca, originally composed circa the 3rd century BC, tentatively dated to the reign of Ptolemy II.

[4][67] These campaigns were conducted across several years and were brutal against the native populations, including slaughter of men, enslavement of women and children, and the burning of fields.

The short text reports that a military mission was guided by the mouth of Nekhen Zamonth who states that he went north with a small troop and that there were no deaths on the return south.

[77] A related inscription found in Ayn Soukhna suggests that the mission originated from Memphis and perhaps crossed the Red Sea to the peninsula by boat.

[81] One inscription dating to year 43 of Amenemhat III's reign comes from Tura and refers to the quarrying of limestone there for a mortuary temple, either that at Dahshur or Hawara.

[82] A stela retrieved from the massif of Gebel Zeit, 50 km (31 mi) south of Ras Ghareb, on the Red Sea coast shows activity at the Galena mines there.

[85] Three inscriptions from year 19 note the workforce of labourers and soldiers employed and the outcome of the efforts resulting in ten 2.6 m (8.5 ft) tall seated statues of the king being made.

[90] North-west of Abu Simbel and west of Lake Nasser lie the quarries of Gebel el-Asr in Lower Nubia.

[93] A stela was discovered at Mersa on the Red Sea coast, by Rosanna Pirelli in 2005 that detailed an expedition to Punt during the reign of Amenemhat III.

A very similar inscription from possibly the same year was found at Elkab, which indicates the extension of a defensive wall built by Senusret II.

Another find at Elephantine was a door lintel of the Eleventh Dynasty, where Amenemhat III added an inscription dated to his regnal year 34.

[103] Amenemhat III kept close watch on the inundation levels of the Nile, as demonstrated by inscriptions left at Kumma and Semna.

[110][109] The structure was then encased by 5 m (16 ft; 9.5 cu) thick, fine white Tura limestone blocks held together by wooden dove-tail pegs.

[114] In front of the pyramid, lay a mortuary temple of simple design comprising an offering hall and an open columned courtyard.

[119] Shortly after the completion of the pyramid superstructure, in around Amenemhat III's 15th regnal year, the substructure began to buckle with cracks appearing inside as a result of groundwater seepage.

[119][120] Rushed efforts were made to prevent the structure collapsing, which were successful, but just as Sneferu had decided to do with his Bent Pyramid, Amenemhat III chose to build a new one.

[123][120] Before the pyramid lay a mortuary temple, that has been identified as "the Labyrinth" which Classical travellers such as Herodotus and Strabo referred to and which was said to have inspired the 'Labyrinth of Minos'.

[127] The superstructure of the pyramid is near completely lost and the substructure was found full of groundwater, but her burial was otherwise undisturbed including both her sarcophagus and funerary equipment.

[129] A wide range of stones were used for the sculpture of the king, include white limestone, obsidian, chalcedony and copper alloy.

[133] The papyrus is a business document authored by the vizier in his office discussing payment of two brothers named Ahy-seneb (Ỉhy-snb) for their services.

[134] At that time one brother, Ahy-seneb Ankh-ren (ꜥnḫ-rn), was an 'assistant to the treasurer', yet on a later papyrus containing his will, dated to year 44 of Amenemhat III's reign, he had become the 'director of works'.

[143] The inscriptions bear the names of his family members,[141] including his wife Sehotepibre Nehy (Sḥtp-ỉb-rꜥ Nḥy) who is also attested on a stela in Copenhagen National Museum.

[144] Khnumhotep (H̱nmw-ḥtp) was an official that held office for at least three decades from Senusret II's first regnal year through to Amenemhat III's reign.

[145] At the beginning of Senusret II's reign he was a chamberlain, but by the end of his life he held both the office of vizier and chief steward.

[147][148] The treasurer Ikhernofret (Y-ẖr-nfrt) was still in office in the early years of the king's reign,[149] as is demonstrated by a funerary stela in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.

The latter part of the stela tells of the attendance of Ikhernofret and Sasetet (Sꜣ-sṯt) at a feast in Abydos at the instruction of Senusret III after a campaign against Nubia in his regnal year 19.

The surviving fragments of a red granite offering table recovered from the tomb bear the birth and throne names of Amenemhat III.

Pectoral of Amenemhat III from the tomb of Mereret at Dahshur , one of his sisters
Amenemhat III as a recumbent sphinx, one of the so-called " Hyksos sphinxes "
One of the naos from the funerary temple of Amenemhat III at Hawara, now located in the Egyptian Museum at Cairo . The left figure, flexing his arm across his chest in order to bring a sign "ankh" (life) to the face of his partner, is Amenemhat III. The king on the right is his son and successor, Amenemhat IV.
The Black Pyramid of Amenemhat III
The pyramid of Amenemhat III at Hawara
Amenemhat III stela
Amenemhat III table offrande fragment