Takelot III

Takelot III reigned from about 774 to 759 BC, with dates uncertain by about six years. The son of Osorkon III and Queen Tentsai A, he served initially as the High Priest of Amun at Thebes. He was later elevated to royal status as co-regent beside his elderly father before governing in his own right, continuing the rule of the Twenty-third Dynasty in Upper Egypt.

His reign occurred against a background of ongoing fragmentation across Egypt, with regional chieftains and multiple royal lines holding authority in different provinces. Despite these divisions, Takelot maintained stability within his southern heartland and upheld Theban religious traditions alongside his sister Shepenupet I, the God's Wife of Amun. He was eventually succeeded by his brother Rudamun.

Scholars know of Takelot III from surviving temple reliefs and administrative texts. Notable evidence includes inscriptions inside the Chapel of Osiris Heqa-djet at Karnak and a commemorative boundary stela found at Wadi Gasus near the Red Sea coast. His burial place has never been identified, and no royal mummy has been recovered.

Monuments

• Chapel of Osiris Heqa-djet
• Stela from Wadi Gasus

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