In sharp contrast with the even-exaggerated realism of the head and, regardless of his age, the rest of the body is idealized as forever young and muscular, in the more classical pharaonic fashion. Scholars could only make assumptions about the reasons why Senusret III chose to have himself portrayed in such a unique way, and polarized on two diverging opinions. Some argue that Senusret wanted to be represented as a lonely and disenchanted ruler, human before divine, consumed by worries and by his responsibilities. At the opposite, other scholars suggested that the statues originally would convey the idea of a dreadful tyrant able to see and hear everything under his strict control. More recently, it has been suggested that the purpose of such peculiar portraiture was not to represent realism, but rather, to reveal the perceived nature of royal power at the time of Senusret's reign. Gallery Trivia Senusret is a major character in Christian Jacq's historical fiction series The Mysteries of Osiris. Some biblical scholars consider Senusret the pharaoh mentioned in Genesis 39-47, who elevated Joseph to a high administrative post, answerable directly to him. See also List of pharaohs References Bibliography W. Grajetzki, The Middle Kingdom of Ancient Egypt: History,Archaeology and Society'', Duckworth, London 2006 , 51-58. Josef Wegner, The Nature and Chronology of the Senwosret III–Amenemhat III Regnal Succession: Some Considerations based on new evidence from the Mortuary Temple of Senwosret III at Abydos, JNES 55, Vol.4, (1996), p. 249–279. External links Stela of Senusret III from Deir el-Bahri (hieroglyphic text in russian web-site) Colchis 19th-century BC deaths 19th-century BC Pharaohs Pharaohs of the Twelfth Dynasty of Egypt Year of birth unknown