The Statue of Amenemhat III in the
Egyptian Museum in Berlin (inv. no. 1121) was found in 1854 by Joseph Hekekyan (1807–1875) at
Memphis in
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...
. It was bought by the Egyptian Museum in 1855. The statue is one of the highlights of the Egyptian Museum in
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...
and one of the most important sculptures of Ancient Egypt in general.
The statue is made of
granodiorite and is 200 cm high. It shows the Middle Kingdom Egyptian king
Amenemhat III
:''See Amenemhat, for other individuals with this name.''
Amenemhat III ( Ancient Egyptian: ''Ỉmn-m-hꜣt'' meaning 'Amun is at the forefront'), also known as Amenemhet III, was a pharaoh of ancient Egypt and the sixth king of the Twelfth Dy ...
in a position of praying. He wears a
nemes head dress and a long garment. The throne name of the king is still preserved on the belt. In the Egyptian 19th Dynasty, the statue was reinscribed by king
Merenptah. His names and titles are on the back pillar. It seems that in ancient times, under Merenptah the face was reworked too and once covered with plaster and the painted.
The face shows an ageless king. There are two types of statues representing the king. Many statues showing a mature face with clear signs of age, while others show an ageless man. The Berlin statue clearly belongs to the latter type.
[Simoon Connorː ''The Statue of the Steward Nemtyhotep (Berlin ĂM 15700) and some considerations about Royal and Private Portrait under Amenemhat III'', in G. Miniaci, W. Grajetzki (eds)ː '' The World of Middle Kingdom Egypt (2000-1550 BC) I'', London 2015 ISBN 978-1-906137-43-4, 57-59
]
References
External links
*{{Commons category-inline, Statue of Amenemhat III, Ägyptisches Museum Berlin
1854 archaeological discoveries
Memphis, Egypt
Archaeological discoveries in Egypt
Sculptures in the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin
Sculptures of ancient Egypt
Amenemhat III
Egyptological objects in the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin
18th-century BC works