Osorkon II

Osorkon II was one of the most prominent rulers of the Twenty-second Dynasty during the Third Intermediate Period, reigning for about thirty-five years between 872 BC and 837 BC, with dates uncertain by roughly five years. The son of Takelot I and Queen Kapes, he took the throne after his father and restored stability to the royal house at Tanis.

Osorkon was an energetic builder who sought to revive monumental court art. His most famous achievement was the grand red granite Festival Hall erected at the temple of Bastet in Bubastis to celebrate his Sed festival, or royal jubilee. He also commissioned significant building works and inscriptions at the temple complex of Karnak, where he maintained influence through family alliances. In international affairs, his administration engaged with northern neighbours to monitor shifting balances in the Levant.

Scholars know this king through surviving temple reliefs, royal inscriptions, and his stone burial vault, designated tomb NRT I, in the royal necropolis at Tanis. Although his tomb was cleared in modern times, Osorkon mummy was not preserved. He was succeeded by Shoshenq III.

Monuments

• Festival Hall at Bubastis
• Tanis royal tomb NRT I
• Karnak temple inscriptions

Explore further

Try the name on the Cartouche Desk, or see where the reign falls on the timeline.