Senuseret I (Part II): the Teachings of Amenemhat
In the wake of his father’s murder, King Sen-user-et I comes to power. First he must manage the transition to power, then he must build his own legacy.
To strengthen his legitimacy, Senuseret commissions The Teachings of Amenemhat. Purporting to be written by the late king, the work promotes the new ruler’s view of his situation and courtly society, with special warnings to trust no one. Whether the work is full of Senuseret’s own ideas, or perhaps composed from teachings given by the late Amenemhat during their co-regency, it is a fascinating piece of Egyptian didactic literature.
The Teaching of Amenemhat
Senuseret I
- Overview of reign and records at SLU.edu.
- Overview of records at UCL.
- Detailed summary of reign at Wikipedia.
- Misc monuments, objects, and art at Wikimedia.
Names / Titles
- Horus: Ankhmesut
- Two Ladies: Ankhmesut
- Golden Horus: Ankhmesut
- Throne name/Prenomen: Kheper-ka-Re
- Personal name/Nomen: Senusret
Wives
- Neferu III
Monuments
- Pyramid complex at al-Lisht, Wikimedia.
- The White Chapel at Karnak, photos by Kairoinfo4u, Flickr.
- Obelisk in the Temple of Ra at Iunu (Heliopolis), Wikimedia.
The Twelfth Dynasty
- Summary at Wikipedia.
- Summary at ancient-egypt.org.
- List of Kings (Dynasties 11 and 12) at UCL.
- History: The Twelfth Dynasty’s rise to power in Lisa K. Sabbahy, Kingship, Power, and Legitimacy in Ancient Egypt, 2020. Cambridge University Press.
- History: Late Middle Kingdom at UCLA Encyclopedia of Egyptology.
- Family tree at Wikipedia, based on Dodson and Hilton, Complete Royal Families of Ancient Egypt, 2004.
Bibliography
- Dorothea Arnold, “Amenemhat I and the Early Twelfth Dynasty at Thebes,” Metropolitan Museum of Art Journal 1991 (Free Download from MMA).
- Wolfram Grajetzki, Court Officials of the Egyptian Middle Kingdom, 2009.
- Gay Robins, The Art of Ancient Egypt, 2008.
- William C. Hayes, The Scepter of Egypt, 1976 (Free Download from the MMA).
there is no podcast link
thanks for the heads up! I have corrected the oversight 🙂
Re the Finnish novel on Sinuhe, the author’s name is Mika Waltari.
Great work on the podcasts !
The unpleasantness of the teachings of Amenemhat isn’t particularly surprising imo. These are kings who go on imperial conquests to the west east and south, behind every military campaign is a trail of human misery and destroyed lives.