Kheperkare Senusret I of Egypt History Essay (Essay Sample)

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Kheperkare Senusret I of Egypt
Effective leadership and governance are critical factors for the development of a nation. No wonder advancements are marked by political growth. As such, the Egyptian civilizations can be well understood based on the diverse reign of pharaohs. Before the year 1885 BC, Egypt was ruled by several Pharaohs under different dynasties. A dynasty would consist of a related number of family rulers. These lines of hereditary leaders of Egypt could be broken up due to establishment of new cities. Some pharaohs fostered the development of Egypt by looting other nations while others could use diplomacy to reach their developmental goals. In a situation where a pharaoh did not have a heir to succeed him, a dynasty would be handed over to the wife. For instance, Thutmose II reigned from the year 1493 BC to 1479BC and when he died without a son to take over, his wife succeeded him (Freewalt and Ciraolo 5). On the other hand, Rameses the Great ruled during the time of biblical exodus after succeeding his father. A pharaoh was only to be recognized depending on his achievements. This paper will discuss the life of the Egyptian Pharaoh Kheperkare Senusret I as well as his economic, political and religious accomplishments.
Senusret I was born in a year unknown to historians and died in 1919 BC. He was an Egyptian pharaoh of the 12th dynasty and ruled Egypt for forty-four years starting from the year 1971 BC to 1926 BC (Bunson 271). Egyptians called him Sesostris I which meant "Man of goddess Wosret," derived from the name of his grandmother. Senusret I's mother was Nefertitanen and the father's name was Amenemhat I whom he succeeded. Senusret I married his sister Neferu and got children among whome was a son named Amenemhat II. The pharaoh made him a co-regent for three to four years.
King Senusret I was believed to have brought Egypt to the peak of economic prosperity. The pharaoh conquered Nubia during his reign and put up forts with garrisons at tactical positions in Elephantine. After setting up garrisons, it became easy for the king to exploit Nubia's resources such as copper, gold, diorite, and amethysts. Back in Egypt, Senusret I established granite quarries at a place called Aswan alongside a Goldmine in the Wadi Hammanat (Raue 3-12). These precious elements were found in several sites within the area and used by Egyptians to foster the economic growth of their country during the reign of the dynasty.
History has recorded that the reign of Senusret I was marked by the development of architechture throughout the country. The pharaoh concentrated on building shrines, temples, and monuments. The white chapel built by the king was made of an inflexible white stone called alabaster and covered by a thin golden layer (Wilkinson 543). Symbolic images of birds and animals which were believed to be the gods of Egypt decorated the chapel (Raue 1-10). It had been the custom of Egyptians to bury their leaders in temples once they die. Such temples were built by the pharaohs during the time of their reign. Over his period of rule, Senusret I managed to build a temple of Karnak which led to the flourishing of cults (Sparavigna 1-3). He also put up a major shrine near Cairo at a place known as Heliopolis. Senusret I prepared adequately for his death by building a pyramid and his funeral temple near that of Amenemhat, his father.
Kheperkare Senusret I elicited significant political development in Egypt. Willing to have a peaceful nation during his rule, he strengthened the monarchy and fostered his government's influence in the surrounding countries through diplomacy. The impact of peaceful politics created a wise way of handling Palestine and Syria except for Libya where the king utilized military expeditions. Kheperkare lived and reigned in peace since he did not have severe political enemies for over the f...