Statue of Amenemhat III (Berlin)

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The Statue of Amenemhat III in the Egyptian Museum of Berlin is a 2-meter-high statue made of granodiorite, dating to around 1830 BC. It was discovered in 1854 by Joseph Hekekyan at Memphis, Egypt, and bought by the Egyptian Museum in 1855. Today it stands in Berlin, Germany, with the inventory number 1121.

The statue shows King Amenemhat III in a praying pose, wearing a nemes head dress and a long garment. The belt bears the king’s throne name. In the 19th Dynasty, Merneptah re-inscribed the statue and added his names and titles on the back pillar. It is thought that the face was reworked then, possibly plastered and repainted.

The Berlin statue features an ageless face, one of two main types of Amenemhat III statues (some show a mature, aging face). This ageless style makes the piece particularly notable. It remains one of the highlights of the Egyptian Museum in Berlin and an important example of Ancient Egyptian sculpture.