Kneeling Statue of Osorkon III Third Intermediate Period, 23rd Dynasty, ca. 837-728 BC. Limestone. Found in 1904-05, Karnak Cachette.

Statue of king Osorkon III kneeling and pushing a barque of Seker, red color on headdress and kilt, possibly an undercoat for gilding, now lost.

Osorkon III ruled during the 8th century BC as part of the 23rd Dynasty. He was known for his military campaigns and efforts to restore stability to the kingdom during a time of political turmoil.

Osorkon III’s precise accession date is unknown. Various Egyptologists have suggested it may have been from around the mid-790s BC to as late as 787 BC.

He is attested by numerous impressive donation stelae and stone blocks from Herakleopolis Magna through to Thebes.

Osorkon probably lived into his eighties, which explains why he appointed his son Takelot III as the junior coregent to the throne in his final years. He would have been in failing health by this time. Osorkon III’s coregency with Takelot III is the last attested royal coregency in ancient Egyptian history. Later dynasties from Nubia, Sais, and Persia all ruled Egypt with a single king on the throne.

Third Intermediate Period, 23rd Dynasty, ca. 837-728 BC. Limestone. Found in 1904-05, Karnak Cachette. Now in the Egyptian Museum, Cairo. JE 37426; CG 42197