Austin Zudeck
Egypt of the Pharaohs: The Middle Kingdom
Section 2
May 8, 2016
Senwosret III: Ruthless and Autocratic
Senwosret III was a ruthless and autocratic king. During his long reign, he vanquished his rivals and enforced loyalty among his subordinates, instituting a new ideology of royal power and divine kingship. In The Cycle of Songs in Honor of Senwosret III, The Semna Stelae and The Instructions Of A Man For His Son (First Selection), Senwosret III is depicted as respected, partially through the spectrum of fear, as well as the result of his effectiveness to rule with a stern order. Additionally, Senwosret III had aims to make a clear distinction of the ruling class from the noble class, making noting the separation of power …show more content…
Again, there is a lack of dispersion in credit, which enables Senwosret III to take claim of every and all things great, thus elevating the divine kingship further. According to the song, King Senwosret III made firm on the offerings of the gods, fixed the boundaries for the citizens, increased the shares of his fathers before him, protected the traditions for all of Egypt, extended the portion of the riverbanks, brought his recruits to manhood, granted the old youth, and protected Egypt and kept it united. It is clear that there is no acknowledgements towards any other party, including the Gods, as it is Senwosret III that has made their offerings come to fruition. Additionally, in this song in particular, Senwosret III sets a clear divide between his noble council and himself, as it is his might and his might alone that has won [the council’s] increase, assumed to be in stature or monetary measures (The Cycle of Songs in Honor of Senwosret III: Song 2). Another example of Senwosret III’s attempts to further his rule above all the rest, including his noble council, is depicted in the Nomarch’s tombs. Briefly talked about in Lecture 12 were the Nomarch tombs prior to Senwosret III’s reign, and subsequently the fact that once he started ruling, the Nomarch’s did not have lavish tombs resemblant of the king’s royal tombs anymore. This is a further separation of the nobility from the king himself, as even in death, there is a difference in the status of the king and the lesser people, despite them still being of noble stature. Additionally, the king is the only human form of the gods, and the only person that can communicate with the gods, which creates a hierarchy right from the
Egypt of the Pharaohs: The Middle Kingdom
Section 2
May 8, 2016
Senwosret III: Ruthless and Autocratic
Senwosret III was a ruthless and autocratic king. During his long reign, he vanquished his rivals and enforced loyalty among his subordinates, instituting a new ideology of royal power and divine kingship. In The Cycle of Songs in Honor of Senwosret III, The Semna Stelae and The Instructions Of A Man For His Son (First Selection), Senwosret III is depicted as respected, partially through the spectrum of fear, as well as the result of his effectiveness to rule with a stern order. Additionally, Senwosret III had aims to make a clear distinction of the ruling class from the noble class, making noting the separation of power …show more content…
Again, there is a lack of dispersion in credit, which enables Senwosret III to take claim of every and all things great, thus elevating the divine kingship further. According to the song, King Senwosret III made firm on the offerings of the gods, fixed the boundaries for the citizens, increased the shares of his fathers before him, protected the traditions for all of Egypt, extended the portion of the riverbanks, brought his recruits to manhood, granted the old youth, and protected Egypt and kept it united. It is clear that there is no acknowledgements towards any other party, including the Gods, as it is Senwosret III that has made their offerings come to fruition. Additionally, in this song in particular, Senwosret III sets a clear divide between his noble council and himself, as it is his might and his might alone that has won [the council’s] increase, assumed to be in stature or monetary measures (The Cycle of Songs in Honor of Senwosret III: Song 2). Another example of Senwosret III’s attempts to further his rule above all the rest, including his noble council, is depicted in the Nomarch’s tombs. Briefly talked about in Lecture 12 were the Nomarch tombs prior to Senwosret III’s reign, and subsequently the fact that once he started ruling, the Nomarch’s did not have lavish tombs resemblant of the king’s royal tombs anymore. This is a further separation of the nobility from the king himself, as even in death, there is a difference in the status of the king and the lesser people, despite them still being of noble stature. Additionally, the king is the only human form of the gods, and the only person that can communicate with the gods, which creates a hierarchy right from the