Shoshenq III

Shoshenq III governed Egypt during the Third Intermediate Period as a pharaoh of the Twenty-second Dynasty. Reigning for about thirty-nine years, from roughly 837 BC to 798 BC, his dates carry an uncertainty of about five years. He succeeded Osorkon II at the royal capital of Tanis.

His lengthy reign witnessed a profound decline in the central authority of the delta monarchy. Political division intensified, leading to the emergence of competing lines of rulers, particularly in Upper Egypt and the western Delta, which significantly weakened Tanis. Despite these internal strains, Shoshenq III carried out building works at his capital, including the construction of a monumental pylon at Tanis. Scholars know of his reign primarily through temple reliefs, contemporary inscriptions, and his royal tomb, designated NRT V, in the royal necropolis at Tanis.

The king was buried within this stone-built tomb at Tanis, though no mummy has survived. Upon his death, he was succeeded by Shoshenq IV, leaving a kingdom increasingly divided among rival regional dynasts.

Monuments

• Tanis royal necropolis NRT V
• Tanis pylon

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