Amenemhat III c. 1831–1786 BC
Son of Senusret III, he ruled for over forty years. He built two pyramids: the Black Pyramid at Dahshur, which sank into the soft clay under it and was abandoned, and a second at Hawara by the Faiyum, probably his tomb, beside the temple the Greeks called the Labyrinth. The Black Pyramid's capstone, carved with his names, is in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.
Throne name: Nimaatre
nj-mꜣꜥt-rꜥ: “Belonging to the justice of Ra”
Sign by sign
- Sun N5rꜥ The sun, the sun god Ra. Day.
- Goddess Maat C10mꜣꜥt The goddess Maat: truth and cosmic order.
- Ripple of water N35n The sound n. Also means 'of, to'.
Birth name: Amenemhat
imn-m-ḥꜣt: “Amun is at the front”
Sign by sign
- Flowering reed M17i The sound i.
- Game board Y5mn To remain, to endure (as in Amun).
- Ripple of water N35n The sound n. Also means 'of, to'.
- Owl G17m The sound m. Also means 'in'.
- Forepart of a lion F4ḥꜣt Front, beginning.
- Bread loaf X1t The sound t. Also the feminine ending.
Where to see Amenemhat III's name today
Read more about Amenemhat III
- Amenemhat III in hieroglyphs: Nimaatre, two pyramids and the Labyrinth Amenemhat III in hieroglyphics: Nimaatre and Amenemhat read sign by sign, the Black Pyramid's capstone in Cairo, and his tomb by the Labyrinth at Hawara.
- Pharaohs of Egypt in order: the best-known kings, dynasty by dynasty Pharaohs of Egypt in order: the best-known kings from Narmer to Cleopatra VII, period by period, with dates and what each one is remembered for.
- Dahshur: Sneferu's pyramids and the marks their builders left Dahshur pyramids: Sneferu's Bent and Red Pyramids, the painted gang marks and dates on their blocks, and the Middle Kingdom finds now in museums.
- The 12th and 13th Dynasties: the Middle Kingdom in hieroglyphs The 12th dynasty of Egypt (c. 1985–1773 BC): the Amenemhats and Senusrets, their names read in hieroglyphs, then the short-lived kings of the 13th.
Names of gods (Ra, Amun, Ptah) are written first out of respect, even when they are read later. Dates are approximate; we follow Ian Shaw (ed.), The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt (2000).