SENUSRET  I    $1,900

acrylic on canvas 120cm x 85cm

Senusret I
(1971 BC to 1926 BC) 
2nd pharaoh of the 12th Dynasty of Egypt

Senusret I ascended to the throne after the murder of his father, Amenemhet I. For the first time that we know of in Egyptian history, Senusret I was made a co-regent in the 20th year of Amenemhet I's rule, and so was by the time of his father's death firmly established as the heir to the throne. Therefore, regardless of the intentions of the conspirators, he managed to ascend the throne with little difficulty.

Senusret I is responsible for a building programme in which many temples all over the country were for the first time rebuilt in stone or at least decorated with stone elements, with inscriptions and images of the king.

He also had two, massive 20 meter (66 foot) red granite obelisks erected on the occasion of his jubilee celebrating his 30th year in office. These monoliths would have weighed 121 tons each. One of the pair remains the oldest standing obelisk in Egypt.